Roses Born of Dust
by TallYapflip
Summary: An ONI Prowler is sent to a small system on the Southern fringes of UNSC space, just along the border with the Sangheili, to investigate strange signals coming from a planet within. He encounters strange situations, strange people, and the strangest world in the galaxy. [White Rose & Bumblebee. Rated "M" For later.] (All Re-writes complete)
1. Chapter 1: Remnant

**Roses Born of Dust**

A RWBY/Halo Crossover by TallYapflip.

 **Chapter 1: Remnant**

 **August 12, 2681; 0300 Hours**

 **UNSC** ** _Avalon_** **, Bridge**

Major Ivan Chesnokov sat at the helm of his Prowler-Class Modified Stealth Frigate, which was of the Andromeda Pattern. The empty void of space blew past as his ship was in the middle of a Slipspace jump to a small system near the border that the UNSC shared with the newly-formed Sangheili Federation. The Sangheili Star Federation, in a show of good faith, notified the United Nations Space Command of a strange collection of signals being sent out from this system, all of them being incredibly faint but noticeable. After months of digging through UNSC archives, the Office of Naval Intelligence discovered that this world was actually subject to colonization almost 400 years ago, soon after the development of the Slipspace Translight Engine. Records of this early colonization mission were lost for an incredibly long period of time, thanks to ONI's influence. If these colonists managed to survive and create a colony, it would have developed independently of the UNSC and Unified Earth Government.

Chesnokov, much like this planet, was a rarity within the UNSC. He was a man, barely of nineteen years, who was already a major in the Marine Corps of the UNSC. His exceptional scores on both proficiency tests and combat simulations during his training on Reach allowed him to become one of the youngest commissioned officers in UNSC history. As a result of this, he was chosen for specialized training that would have him placed in the SPARTAN IV Program. Fleet Admiral Bishop and the President of the UEG had seen fit to send him to investigate this world, and study it should any human civilization be present.

The A.I. aboard his ship, which was christened under the name _Avalon_ , had awoken him from his sleep so he could see, firsthand, this new planet. Chesnokov jolted forward in his seat slightly as the Prowler, being the rather sleek frigate that it was, lurched out of Slipspace. Before him laid a relatively small star system with one single yellow dwarf star, orbited by three planets of varying types. The planet closest to the star, unsurprisingly, was a heat-blasted wasteland with no chance of ever supporting sentient life. The second planet in the system was similar to Venus in some regards, with an incredibly dense atmosphere of unknown gasses, with a high probability of a solid crust with a semi-molten core. The third planet, the one Chesnokov's ship happened to drop right next to, truly grabbed his attention.

The world was a Terran world, with an obviously life-sustaining atmosphere based on the circles, lines, and irregular collection of lights scattering the surface of the planet, indicative of advanced sentient life. The planet itself had three large landmasses, which took up around forty percent of the surface while the rest was dominated by ocean. The "Western" two landmasses were shadowed in night, allowing the lights on the surface to be clearly seen from orbit. The planet had a few artificial satellites, but no warships or civilian spacecraft around it, which was unsettling to Chesnokov, as this planet had almost four centuries to develop technology to create warships. Even more concerning was the fact that all of the satellites had a very irregular orbit, indicating that they had gone for years, possibly even decades, without replacement. All of them, sans one, were unable to communicate with his Prowler. The one satellite that did manage to connect to the _Avalon_ was a GPS satellite that would have been used by the UNSC centuries ago, and all of its onboard imaging equipment was completely derelict. His contact was the first in over three hundred years, according to the satellite's onboard records.

The natural satellite was truly awe-inspiring however. It was a single moon, much like Earth's, but it was permanently locked in a crescent shape, as it appeared to be shattered by some unknown force. There were small white lunar fragments drifting along with the larger remnants of the moon, giving off an eerie feel. The fragments trailed along behind the moon, seeming to emerge from the mouth of the crescent.

"Comms, send a contact request back to _In Spirit of Fire_." Ivan asked, looking over to the young ensign that was manning the comms station.

"Aye, sir." The ensign acknowledged, tapping away on his console. The request was almost immediately accepted by the Admiral of the UNSC 2nd Exploration Flotilla: Admiral Bishop. "Major, I take it you've arrived?" The older Admiral asked, his face popping up on a holographic display before him.

"Yes sir." Chesnokov replied, sitting in a slightly more formal manner. "It looks like we were right, there is some form of civilization down there, but they don't seem to have any dedicated defensive grid in their orbit, only derelict old Interplanetary War-era GPS and Comms satellites."

"Well… They've been separated from the rest of Humanity for four hundred years, they were bound to have developed along a different path than us." Bishop admitted.

"What's even more concerning is the fact that their moon, quite literally, is shattered." Chesnokov said, drawing a look of confusion from the Admiral.

"Shattered?" Bishop asked.

"Yes sir, their moon is broken up into multiple large fragments. There's a single permanent crescent moon, with about a dozen smaller shards drifting along in the mouth of the crescent. I can't tell if this is a natural occurrence or not."

"That's interesting… It doesn't fit the Covenant's MO, but we can't rule out the possibility. Be that as it may, your orders still stand. You need to get down to that planet, investigate its society, and learn what you can. Keep me informed, SPARTAN. If ONI's right…"

"Understood sir."

"I gave you that ship for a reason. There's a modified Darter Dropship in the bay. It's been outfitted with a new stealth system that should allow you to land on that world unnoticed. Just to be completely sure, land well out of sight from any buildings, roads, or cities, and be sure to keep the _Avalon_ in orbit so you can keep in contact."

"Aye sir."

"Good luck, SPARTAN." Bishop nodded, cutting the communication.

As the holographic display minimized, Chesnokov looked up from his console. "Helm, bring the ship into geosynchronous orbit with the planet and engage stealth systems. Optical and thermal camouflage."

"Aye, sir." The vessel's pilot acknowledged, hands dancing across the instruments on the display before her.

The SPARTAN stood up and rolled his shoulders around, looking to ease the tension. He keyed into his Fireteam's secure comms network, and sent out his orders. "Fireteam Omega, report to the Hangar Bay for immediate departure, full combat gear."

"Copy that, Major." His second-in-command, SPARTAN L-231 Lauren, acknowledged.

Satisfied with the answer, he closed down his connection to the rest of his team, and turned to the bridge crew. "Lieutenant-Commander Anderson, you have the helm." He declared.

"Understood, Major." The pilot nodded in her seat.

"Keep the vessel in orbit, I'll relay new orders as they come." Ivan added. "If necessary, move to the system's fringe to vent the thermal sinks. I don't want us to be detected prematurely."

"Understood." Anderson nodded.

With a heavy sigh, he stepped past the weapons control station, grabbing his MJOLNIR Gen-2 Helljumper helmet from a rack on the wall and throwing it over his head. His Heads-Up Display activated, showing his vital signs, limited motion tracking, and synched up to the rest of his armor. He took the short flight of stairs down into the cargo hold, grabbing his MA5E assault rifle, combat knife, M6 SOCOM, a few fragmentation grenades, and extra ammunition for his weapons.

As he arrived at the Prowler's small Hangar, he was happy to see that his team had already suited up and was awaiting him. All of them stood around the crew deck of the very large transport Darter. Lauren was leaned up against the transport's frame, her black Hermes-pattern MJOLNIR Gen-2 almost blending in with the transport's black ablative stealth coating. Being a CQC specialist, she carried a pair of M7 SMGs locked to her thighs, and an M45D shotgun on her back.

His team's Sniper, M-031 Mary, was sitting on one of the transport's landing feet. Due to her previous station with the 201st Shock Troops Battalion, she had chosen a Helljumper-pattern helmet, while the rest of her armor was the stock MJOLNIR Gen-2. Her visor was a dark black, just like the rest of Fireteam Omega. She had an M6 SOCOM locked to her thigh, and was idly fiddling with the scope of her SRS-99C sniper rifle.

His team's heavy weapons specialist, J-308 Jacob, simply stood between the two other SPARTANs. His armor was the SPARTAN equivalent to a main battle tank, the Atlas-pattern. He had an M739 SAW locked onto his back, a pair of M6 SOCOMs at his hip, and an ARC-920 Mk. IV Railgun next to the SAW on his back.

"Look who decided to show up! Mister 'immediate departure' has finally graced us with his presence." Lauren called out. Ivan could practically see the smirk on her face through the black visor.

"Watch it, Lauren." Mary snickered, not looking up from her rifle. "Hangar door's right over there."

"Yeah." Jacob added. "Don't want a repeat of what happened over Draco-III, now do we?"

"Hey, that was the Elite's fault and you know it!" Lauren shot back.

"Alright, Omega." Ivan sighed, glad that his visor could hide his smile. Despite only recently becoming the leader for Fireteam Omega, he had come to like them. They were all young, practically straight out of the Program on Reach. The oldest of them was Jacob, and he was only a few months older than Ivan was. They still had the high-spirits that some of the veteran SPARTANs lacked. "Mount up! We'll have plenty of time to take jabs at each other on the ride down."

"You got it, Major." Lauren gave a half-hearted, two-fingered salute as she stood upright and made her way into the compartment of the Darter transport. Ivan rolled his eyes as he followed the rest of his team into the 'crew compartment'. In all actuality, it was really just a cargo hold that had been vacuum-rated, with a few seats welded into the frame. The compartment itself carried extra ammunition, food, purified water, ordinance, and spare weapons among other basic supplies.

Ivan banged a fist against the frame of the dropship as he stepped into the hold, notifying the ONI Pilot to begin takeoff procedures. As he moved to sit down in one of the seats, he could hear the thrumming of the engines spooling up. After a few minutes, the pilot finished his pre-flight checks and took off.

The dropship quickly left the bay, firing its rear thrusters. As it passed through the energy shield that kept the Hangar's atmosphere in, the heavy sound of the engines was replaced by a dull hum. He listened as his team returned to their banter, occasionally joining in himself. It had only taken a few minutes for the dropship to make contact with the upper atmosphere, lurching slightly as the friction started to slow down the descent. Just as the ship made contact with the atmosphere, the pilot's voice rang out in his team's comms. "Engaging stealth systems. Topographical scans are coming through now." After another short few seconds, the pilot's voice returned. "Suitable LZ located, eighteen klicks out from a large settlement on the largest continent. Permission to land, Major?"

"Granted." Ivan acknowledged. "Bring us in slow."

"Might want to take a look at this, Major." The pilot explained. "Forwarding images to your Datapad now."

Ivan flicked back the armored covering on his wrist, revealing the small Datapad contained within. As he did, an image appeared on the screen. It was a large collection of structures sitting atop a large plateau, taken from the _Avalon_ 's sensors. "Steer clear." Ivan ordered.

"Understood."

Ivan felt the Darter lurch under him as it touched down, followed by a green light overtaking the red hue of the crew compartment. With a hiss, the two bay doors slid open, letting the fresh air flood the deck. Wordlessly, the four SPARTANs stood up and disembarked the dropship. "Mark the LZ on your HUDs." Ivan ordered, his armored boots making contact with the grass beneath him. They had landed in the middle of a small, secluded canyon in the middle of a forest. It was surrounded on all sides by a sheer cliff face, with only a small pass leading up and over the cliff.

"Copy." His team echoed, following his order.

"Let's get to work, we have a camp to set up and supplies to offload." Ivan ordered

XXXXX

 **August 12, 2681; 0430 Hours**

 **Uncharted Planet, Surface (FOB Alpha)**

Ivan stepped out of the large tent that he had set up. They had spent the past hour or so setting up a base camp not only for them, but for the ONISEC Marines that would be alongside them down here. The pilot had assisted them in setting everything up, and was now on his way back towards the Darter to head back to orbit and recover the platoon of Marines that would serve as a security force for their camp, along with an ONI-affiliated scientist.

As the Darter took off, engaging its stealth systems before it cleared the top of the canyon, Ivan looked over to the rest of his team. Jacob was busy finalizing the placement of the deployable cover for the perimeter. Lauren was setting up a separate location for the ammo dump, and Mary was putting the finishing touches on the three tents that the Marines would be occupying. He decided to help Jacob set up the deployable cover around the perimeter, making sure to take sight lines on the pass into account.

After about fifteen minutes of waiting, the Darter returned. It was heard long before it was seen, touching down in the small area that had been set aside for it on the edge of the FOB. As the side doors slid open, fourteen Marines and a single ONI scientist all disembarked the dropship, which had shimmered back into existence a moment prior. They all worked to carry crates of scientific equipment and other items out of the rear of the dropship, able to offload all of the cargo in a single trip.

All of the Marines were clad in the normal Marines BDU, colored a dark black and sporting an ONI emblem on the right shoulder. After setting their cargo down, the Darter's pilot gave a quick hand motion before re-engaging the stealth systems and returning to the skies, inbound for the _Avalon_.

"Major." The Marines CO saluted Ivan, laying down a small crate containing some unspecified equipment first.

"Lieutenant, have a squad set up motion sensors around the rim of the canyon, fifty meters out." Ivan ordered. "Doctor Evans, set up secure comms with the _Avalon_. Omega, we're on recon duty."

XXXXX

 **August 12, 2681; 0800 Hours**

 **Uncharted Planet, 3km North of FOB Alpha**

"Hold!" Ivan ordered, holding a closed fist above his head. "Motion contact, eighty meters north." At his word, all of Fireteam Omega stopped dead in their tracks, watching their motion trackers. They watched as one ping on their tracker became three, and began closing the distance… quick. All four of the SPARTANs raised their weapons, keeping them trained due north. At twenty meters, just at the edge of the treeline, the tracker lost the contact.

The SPARTANs, however, could see three pairs of glowing red eyes staring them down from the darkness, and four weapons swung to them. The still air was punctuated with a low growl from the treeline, and all of the SPARTANs found their fingers gravitating towards the triggers of their respective weapons.

Without warning, three massive beasts lurched from the treeline, attempting to pounce on the SPARTANs. Their reflexes and training kicked in, and time seemed to slow for Fireteam Omega. The three beasts, looking quite similar to the werewolves of fantasy, were still mid-air when the SPARTANs unleashed hell.

A steady stream of rounds from Jacob's SAW tore through the right-most creature. The left-most creature found itself riddled with 5x23mm caseless rounds from Lauren's twin SMGs. The lead creature, seeming to be the pack leader, got the worst of it. A short burst of fire from Ivan's assault rifle split through a bony covering on its head, followed quickly by a single 14.5mm round from Mary's sniper rifle which passed through the creature's body effortlessly. The round even continued through a tree, embedding itself in a small berm on the other end of the clearing.

All of the SPARTANs engaged their armor's integrated thrusters, pushing themselves to the side, allowing the limp corpses of the three creatures to crash against the ground where they had stood just a moment before. "What the hell?" Mary looked to the three corpses, surprised to see that they were already in the process of decomposing. At least… she assumed they were decomposing.

Black flakes flittered off into the air as the bodies started to quickly fade away. It almost seemed like they were made of nothing but ash by the way they decomposed. "That's new…" Lauren commented, watching the process unfold before her very eyes. "What the hell were those things?"

"No idea…" Ivan answered. "They seemed feral. Stay alert, don't let them get the drop on you."

"Copy that." Lauren acknowledged, replacing the magazines in her SMGs with fresh ones. She, along with the other two members of Fireteam Omega, fell into step behind their CO.

After continuing North for another kilometer or so, they heard the distinct sound of gunfire and explosions coming from their due North, coupled with the furious roars that those feral creatures had uttered. Ivan waved a flattened hand forward, motioning for his team to continue moving forward.

As they passed through the forest, they eventually came upon a large, open valley surrounded on all sides by cliff walls. Down below, roughly a kilometer from their position atop the cliff, Ivan spotted a few figures standing around some stone ruins, seeming to converse with one another. "Hold!" He ordered. "Active camo."

As his team shimmered out of sight, he activated his helmet's optical zoom and focused in on the group. Much to his surprise, all of them looked to be in their late teens with some very unnatural appearances for Humans. One's hair was a bright, almost ivory-white. Another seemed to be wielding a massive scythe as a weapon, despite a shorter stature than the rest.

"Take up positions, hundred meter spacing." Ivan ordered. "Time for some field research."

XXXXX

 **August 12, 2681; 0812 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vale (Emerald Forest)**

Ruby Rose racked the bolt back on her massive scythe/high-impact sniper rifle, which she affectionately called Crescent Rose. Another massive round chambered into the rifle section of her weapon, which she quickly sent through the thin head armor of a Beowolf, sending the body splaying across the ground. She quickly collapsed Crescent Rose back into its compact state and adjusted her cape to cover it. She turned back to face Weiss, Yang, and Blake.

After the rather… interesting fight against the Deathstalker, everyone was rather tired and wanted nothing more than to get back to Beacon and sleep for the entire week. "Everyone get their 'relics'?" Yang asked, looking to everyone around her.

"Yep!" Ruby responded, holding up the white knight chess piece.

"Good… maybe now we can get back to-" Yang found herself cut off as a Nevermore's screech ripped through the still air of the Emerald Forest. Everyone looked around for a moment, finding the massive Grimm circling around the cliff edge to their southwest. It was firing its sharpened feathers down towards the ground, and the faint sound of gunfire could be heard.

"Someone's in trouble!" Ruby declared. Just as the words left her mouth, she saw a bright white streak spear upwards from the ground, striking the Nevermore just beneath its beak. The projectile cut through the Grimm's body like a razor, and exited through the back of its neck. The creature plummeted to the Earth, striking the side of the cliff and falling into the forest below. "Or not…"

"What _was_ that?" Yang asked, confused.

"I have no idea…" Weiss admitted. "It didn't look like a normal weapon, not one that I've ever seen."

Soon after, the staccato of automatic gunfire returned, along with a _very_ loud report from either a grenade or an immensely powerful rifle. "Come on!" Ruby shouted, taking off towards the cliff face.

XXXXX

 **August 12, 2681; 0958 Hours**

 **Uncharted Planet, 4.3 Kilometers North of FOB Alpha**

"Jesus Christ…" Lauren muttered, slotting fresh magazines into the side of her SMGs. "That scorpion was as big as a damn _Scorpion_!" She looked over the quickly-decaying corpse before her. "And just look at the size of that damn stinger!"

"Man, fuck that thing." Mary shuddered. "Saw enough of that in New Phoenix."

"It's the small ones you've gotta worry about. You'll be fine." Jacob added with a chuckle.

"Quiet, tracker contact." Ivan held up a hand. "Eighty meters North, on the cliff. Camo." At his word, the four members of Fireteam Omega shimmered out of sight and took cover behind trees, rocks, bushes, or _in_ a tree in Mary's case.

Ivan waited in complete silence, ready to put a stream of lead downrange from behind the boulder he was using for cover. Much to his surprise, it wasn't one of the black creatures that stepped through the treeline, it was one of the people he had spotted at the bottom of the valley. She was the shorter one that Ivan had seen slinging a scythe around. She looked no older than sixteen at most, and had a pair of inquisitive silver eyes. With her dress being adorned by a red cloak, he couldn't help but draw parallels to Little Red Riding Hood. _"How the hell did she cover the distance that quick?"_ Lauren asked into their closed-circuit local comms.

 _"_ _No idea…"_ Ivan responded. This planet had very quickly thrown him for a loop. He wasn't about to assume anything anymore.

From behind the short brunette girl with the scythe, another voice called out to her. "Anything over there, Ruby?"

"Nope…" The shorter girl, who Ivan now knew as Ruby, responded. From behind her, a trio of other girls emerged from the brush. The first one to emerge was a blonde, wearing what appeared to be a crop top and a brown jacket. She had a pair of metallic yellow gauntlets around her hands, with what seemed to be smooth-bore barrels protruding from just above her knuckles. She had a pair of eyes with a lilac hue to them.

The second was that girl Ivan had made note of before. She was incredibly thin, and had what seemed to be a rapier in her hand. Stranger yet, it looked like it had a revolving cylinder, not unlike an old revolver's, just above the grip. She wore a white dress and coat, her ice-blue eyes scanning the area curiously.

The last to emerge was probably the most normal looking. She was very tall and lithe, with a long mane of midnight-black hair. She had a black bow atop her head, and as Ivan made note of it, he could swear he saw the fabric twitch, just slightly. On a lark, he activated his helmet's thermals, and was truly surprised by what he saw. There were a pair of triangular protrusions beneath the bow, matching her body temperature. They looked almost like… Cat ears? He made a special note of that as he de-activated his optics, seeing the strange-looking blade she carried at her hip. Her amber eyes scanned her surroundings very carefully. If there was anyone that could spot a SPARTAN's active camouflage, it would probably be her. The tech had come a long way over the past hundred years, but there was still the slightest shimmering around the user. He remained _painfully_ still to mitigate this.

"Well, there's definitely been a fight here…" The Blonde noted, kneeling down to pick up one of the numerous shell casings that littered the ground.

"What gave it away?" The ivory-haired girl asked, her voice sounding almost nasally. "The bullets all over the place, or the disintegrating Deathstalker?" Now Ivan had a name to attach to the giant scorpion. Deathstalker. He suppressed a chuckle at the naming convention, and continued listening.

"Look here." The black-haired girl pointed to the ground near where Ivan's team had made their stand against the Deathstalker. The tall grass had been flattened by their armored boots, and the shell casings had seemed to fall around this location.

"What is it, Blake?" Ruby asked, darting over. Another name.

"These weren't students…" Blake explained, pointing to the footprints that had been planted in the dirt. "All of the footprints are the same, ignoring the size difference. Look at their spacing, too."

"They barely moved at all…" The white-haired girl noted. "It's like they stood their ground, and stood it very well at that." She gestured over to the bullet holes that pockmarked trees, the ground, and the still-disintegrating Deathstalker.

"Weird…" Ruby noted. As she looked around, she spotted a single shell casing on the ground and decided to pick it up. "Wait a sec… this is the same bullet I use!"

"Really?" The blonde asked.

"Yeah." Ruby pulled one of her own bullets out and compared them side-by-side. They were completely identical, save the length. The foreign one she had found was notably longer, but the diameter was the same. She flipped the casing around, examining the back where the striker would meet the primer. She brought it closer, seeing that the bullet's measurements were 14.5x114mm. What truly surprised her was the fact that this bullet apparently had another series of numbers and letters in front of the measurements. "M232 APFSDS".

"Weird…" Ruby continued. "What's the back of that one say, Yang?"

The blonde, now known as Yang, looked to the back of her notably smaller round that she had recovered. She read the small stamped text out aloud. "M118 7.62x51mm."

"That's the bullet that Atlas' military used in their old rifles, I think…" The white-haired girl added. "It's been decades since we used things like that, though."

"Weird… We should definitely let Ozpin know about this." Ruby suggested.

"Good idea." Yang nodded. "Now c'mon, let's start heading back."

Ivan watched as the four girls headed back towards the cliff and out of sight. As their movements no longer registered on his motion tracker, he let out a sigh and sent a ping to the rest of his team. All of them shimmered back into sight at the same time. "Holy… fucking… shit…" Lauren let out, still sitting behind a bush, completely awestruck. "Enough 'field research' for ya, Major?"

"Please tell me you were recording that…" Ivan looked up to Mary, who was crouched down on a branch in a nearby tree.

"I got all of it…" Ivan breathed out, equally amazed. "ONI's gonna eat this up."

XXXXX

 **August 12, 2681; 1223 Hours**

 **Uncharted Planet, FOB Alpha**

"Professor Evans, you're going to want to see this." Ivan said, stepping into the tent that the professor had claimed as his own.

"Find something interesting, Major?" The professor asked, looking up from his terminal for a moment before his eyes gravitated back towards the screen.

"A teenage girl with prehensile cat ears sound interesting to you?" Ivan asked. That certainly got Evans' attention. His eyes darted over to the SPARTAN, who was holding out a small data storage drive.

Without a moment's hesitation, Evans took the chip and slotted it into his terminal. With a few quick gestures across the haptic display, he found himself watching around ten minutes of footage from Ivan's perspective, complete with audio recordings. It started with his team engaging a massive scorpion-like creature, then a short conversation between the members of Omega, and then the truly interesting bits started. He watched the full conversation between four teenage girls, and did indeed see what the SPARTAN was talking about. When he activated his thermal imaging, he saw the very feline-like ears beneath the girl's bow. "Christ alive, SPARTAN…" Evans muttered as the footage came to an end. "What the hell did we just stumble into?"

"You don't know?" Ivan asked. "I thought the Prowler would have returned the in-depth scan data by now."

"It would have, but there's something interfering with our scanning equipment." Evans knocked his knuckles against the terminal, which showed a completely unintelligible collection of data. "All of our scans return complete gibberish, unintelligible even to Merlin. So, until we figure out what the hell is causing the interference, we're in the dark. The only thing we have would be the topographical maps taken from orbit, and they're still imperfect. It'll be a few days yet before the _Avalon_ can get us a full planetary scan with just its imaging equipment."

Ivan sighed. "Alright… we're going to resupply and get back out there. Have you made contact with the local wildlife yet?"

"Indeed…" Evans nodded. "A small pack of those wolf-like creatures. Easy enough for the Marines to handle, but I've put in a request for heavy weapons to be brought down from the _Avalon_. They'll be arriving in a few hours."

"Alright…" Ivan nodded. "See if you can convince FLEETCOM to send another team. This is a lot of ground to cover."

"I'll do what I can." Evans nodded.

XXXXX

 **August 12, 2681; 1306 Hours**

 **Beacon Academy, Vale**

Ruby spotted Professor Ozpin making his way towards the auditorium, shouting out to catch his attention. "Professor Ozpin!" She declared, darting toward him, propelled by her Semblance.

Ozpin didn't at all seem surprised by the sudden appearance of a literal incarnation of energy. "Yes, Miss Rose?" Ozpin asked, taking a sip from his omnipresent coffee mug.

"While we were out in the Emerald Forest, we… found something." Ruby began. "It looked like a fight happened on top of a cliff, but there was nobody around." She dug around in her pockets for a moment, producing the two shell casings she and Yang had picked up. "These shells were scattered all over the place, and it looked like a group held out against a Deathstalker and a Nevermore!"

As Ruby held out the two shell casings, Ozpin took the smaller of the two in his hand, adjusting his glasses to inspect the print on the back of it. As his gaze fell onto a small collection of letters and numbers "MA – 7.62x51mm – FMJ-AP". He allowed himself a small hum. "Hmm… thank you for bringing this to my attention, Miss Rose." Ozpin said, handing the casing back to Ruby. "We can talk about this a bit more after initiation this evening."


	2. Chapter 2: Shadows

**Chapter 2: Shadows**

 **August 20, 2681; 1250 Hours**

 **Remnant, Emerald Forest (FOB Alpha)**

"Passive Radar systems are operational, Major." The ONISEC lieutenant said, saluting him as he emerged from the tent he shared with Omega. "No air contacts detected."

"Excellent." Ivan nodded, dismissing the salute. "Any word on Merlin's connection to the FOB?"

"Evans managed to get a reliable connection to the _Avalon_ , sir." The Lieutenant nodded. "We'll be able to keep comms with it, even if it leaves orbit."

"Excellent." Ivan added. "You're dismissed, Lieutenant. Return to standard procedures."

"Aye, sir." The Lieutenant nodded, heading back to his post in the rudimentary command center.

Ivan keyed a connection to the _Avalon_ through his neural implant, finding himself answered by the ship's artificial intelligence. "Go ahead, SPARTAN." Merlin began, his light Celtic accent ringing in the SPARTAN's comms unit.

"Merlin, have you made any headway with the planet's comms grid?" Ivan asked, walking towards Professor Evans' tent.

"Affirmative." Merlin answered. "I've prepared a briefing packet for you on the planet's four main bastions of civilization. Bear in mind, a lot of it is based on news articles I've sifted through for you. You're welcome."

"Thank you, Merlin." Ivan responded. _Snarky prick_. He thought to himself. "Upload it to my datapad."

"Already on it." Merlin affirmed.

"Good. Is there anything you can do to get us into the nearest city _without_ sticking out?" Ivan asked.

"Well…" Merlin seemed thoughtful for a moment. "If you could get your hands on this planet's version of a datapad, or a 'Scroll' as the locals call it, I could fabricate an identity for you."

"That won't look strange?" Ivan asked, stopping just outside Evans' tent. "Someone just appearing on the planet's databases out of the blue?"

"This planet's electronic security systems are laughably weak." Merlin answered. "They only have the most rudimentary artificial intelligence. Asking me to slip you through the system is like using a sledgehammer to put a nail in the wall. It's overkill of the highest caliber."

"Any suggestions for getting my hands on one of these devices?" Ivan asked.

"Well, since this planet doesn't accept UEG credits…" Merlin seemed thoughtful again. Ivan could practically feel the smirk on the AI's digital face as he spoke. "Might I suggest theft?"

"Merlin…" Ivan warned. "I'm here to learn about this planet's culture and society, not get arrested." He knew that any attempt to arrest him would most likely end in a laughable failure for local law enforcement, but he had no desire to make himself known to any degree. Especially not by suddenly appearing on the planet's 'Most-Wanted' list.

"Alright, alright…" Merlin placated. "This planet does make use of an almost ancient card system. You know the ones. Magnetic strip readers? I could create a dummy account for you. All you'd have to do is memorize the number and the security code."

"Alright, set it up." Ivan agreed. "I'll head into the city and get what I can for you."

"Excellent." Merlin acknowledged. "But SPARTAN?"

"Yes?"

"Might I suggest some more… casual clothes?" Merlin asked. "I can have Airman Moore bring down your personal effects, if you'd like."

Ivan sighed. "Alright, have her send them down. All of Omega's, too."

XXXXX

 **August 20, 2681; 1500 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vale (Market District)**

"I feel hilariously out of place…" Lauren commented, noting the strange looks the group of four was getting.

"We're taller than most people here." Jacob shrugged. "You'd stare too if a bunch of 6'7 people were walking down the street and you were still a normal height."

"At least we got the damn things, and we can get the hell out of here." Mary added, fiddling with the strange device that they had all bought at a local electronics store. Ivan wasn't exactly _surprised_ that Merlin's method worked, but there was still a feeling of tension when he was waiting for the transaction to clear.

Strange as it was for them, all four of the SPARTANs were walking down a street in a mostly-human city on an alien world, dressed in casual clothing. Before he had left the FOB, he had sent the mission update to Admiral Bishop, and included a rough description of this new sub-species of Human they had encountered. According to the locals, these people were referred to as "Faunus", likely due to the single animal trait they had. He was still waiting on the tremendous shitstorm that would be causing with ONI.

"City's nice, at least." Lauren shrugged, tucking the Scroll into her back pocket. "More… modern than I expected."

"What were you expecting?" Mary asked. "A Medieval castle and a bunch of farmland?"

"I dunno… it is a kingdom, after all." Lauren shrugged again.

"Let's just get that 'Dust' stuff and get back…" Ivan intervened. He had spent so long in his MJOLNIR that these loose-fitting civilian clothes felt strange to him. "I'd prefer if we didn't get there after dark."

XXXXX

 **August 21, 2681; 1200 Hours**

 **Remnant, Forever Fall Forest**

"Weiss!" Ruby shouted, jogging over to the rest of her team with her jar of red sap in hand. "Are you done yet?" She asked.

Weiss gave an audible sigh. "Almost, Ruby."

"Not everyone has your Semblance, sis." Yang piped up from her seat beneath a tree. She was idly flipping through her scroll.

Everyone stopped what they were doing when they heard a commotion coming from deeper in the forest. Ruby saw Team CRDL running towards them, shouting about an Ursa. "What's going on?!" Ruby asked, seeing Dove.

"An Ursa pack has Cardin and Jaune cornered!" Dove declared, slowing down a bit and constantly checking over his shoulder.

"C'mon!" Yang shouted, jumping to her feet and priming Ember Celica. With that, the four members of Team RWBY took off.

Ruby was the first to arrive, thanks in no small part to her Semblance. When she did, she saw Cardin and Jaune boxed in by a half-dozen of the bear-like Grimm. Without hesitation, she deployed Crescent Rose and lunged forward. She took the closest one by surprise, cleaving it in half with a Semblance-assisted swing. She slid to a stop next to Jaune and worked the bolt on her weapon.

The rest of her team emerged from the trees, all of them lunging for the pack of Grimm with their weapons brought to bear. In a flurry of attacks from the team of young Huntresses, the five remaining Ursas were dispatched with relative ease.

As Ruby looked over to Cardin, she saw him scrambling over towards his mace that had been knocked aside by an Ursa. Strangely enough, Cardin had the red sap that they were supposed to be collection splattered against his breastplate. Jaune had been knocked back against a tree, and was caught in a daze.

"Are you guys alright?" Ruby asked, looking over to Cardin and Jaune.

"Yeah…" Jaune nodded, slowly standing back up.

"Yang, go find Goodwitch!" Ruby turned to her sister.

"On it." Yang nodded, running back towards the direction they came from.

As Ruby jogged towards Jaune, she saw a look of surprise spread across his face. "Ruby!" He shouted.

Seeing that Jaune was actually looking _past_ her, she wheeled around, spotting another Ursa. This one looked much older, and far stronger. Just as she registered the fact that the Grimm was charging at her, she heard a thundering boom sound off from her right, and watched as the creature's head was torn from its body. She saw a thin vapor trail passing through the air where the creature's head had been a moment before, and immediately turned her head to follow it.

She found herself looking to the other end of the massive clearing she was standing in. For the briefest moment, she could swear she had spotted an almost transparent figure in the trees, clad in black armor, but it disappeared a moment later. After a single, stunned moment, she shouted out after it. "Hey! Wait!" She called out, throwing herself in the apparition's general direction with her Semblance.

"Ruby!" Blake called out after her, also seeing the figure for the briefest moment. She took off running after the girl, Weiss a few steps behind her.

XXXXX

 **August 21, 2681; 1159 Hours**

 **Remnant, Forever Fall Forest (10.2 Kilometers from FOB Alpha)**

Ivan stalked through the admittedly beautiful forest, but he didn't quite have the time to admire the scenery. He had heard the sounds of a struggle in this direction, and he had deviated from his path to come investigate. "Omega…" Ivan began, speaking into his comms. "Proceed to the marked rendezvous and await further orders."

"Copy." Lauren answered. "What's going on?"

"Gunfire." Ivan answered. "Moving to investigate."

"Understood." Lauren acknowledged.

As Ivan neared the sounds of fighting, he pulled his SRS99-S6 from the magnetic strip on his back and continued his approach, eventually slowing down to ensure that the shimmering of his active camo unit was minimal.

He came to a stop on the edge of a large clearing, seeing the source of the noise. He spotted four familiar figures, and two new ones. He spotted the girls he remembered as Ruby, Yang, and Blake. There was also the ivory-haired girl whose name he had yet to learn. A young blonde boy had been knocked against a tree. Ivan assumed that this had been done by one of the six Ursa Grimm that were quickly disintegrating in the clearing. A much taller boy with brown hair was scrambling towards a positively _massive_ mace. Ivan was surprised by the last person's height. Hell, he probably rivaled the SPARTAN himself without the armor.

Seeing that the group had started talking, he fell down to a kneeling position and watched. "Yang, go find Goodwitch!" He heard Ruby call out, followed shortly after by the blonde acknowledging and heading off in another direction. With that, he figured it was safe to assume that Ruby was either the dedicated leader, or de-facto leader of the group.

He watched as Ruby began jogging towards the blonde boy that had been knocked against a tree. Ivan cursed as he saw an Ursa begin emerging from the treeline behind Ruby. It wasn't until the beast started charging at her when she finally realized she wasn't quite safe yet.

He wasn't quite sure what came over him. Maybe it was the training, maybe it was the oath he had taken, maybe it was the angel on his shoulder. Whatever it was, it caused him to bring his rifle to bear, and let the anti-material round rip through the air, tearing the Ursa's head clean off its body.

It was about now that Ivan truly wished the UNSC had done away with the tracers in their sniper rounds. He saw Ruby begin looking in his direction, and he could tell that his active camouflage unit still had yet to fully conceal him. He couldn't afford to be compromised, so he turned and ran. He heard her call out after him, but paid it no mind.

XXXXX

 **August 21, 2681; 1209 Hours**

 **Remnant, Forever Fall Forest**

Ruby skidded to a stop in the exact location she had seen the mysterious black figure. She looked around, disappointed to see that it was already gone. For a moment, she had thought she might have just been seeing things… that was until she saw a familiar shell casing embedded in the dirt. She knelt down and picked it up. Sure enough, it was the same casing she had found in the Emerald Forest.

"Ruby!" Blake called out, coming to a stop a few feet from the Huntress, Weiss a few steps behind. "You saw it too?"

"Yeah…" Ruby answered. "Look." She held out the casing.

Blake looked at the casing, her normal indifference giving way to a look of surprise. "Are they following us?" Blake asked.

"I don't know…" Ruby admitted. "But we _definitely_ need to bring this to Ozpin."

XXXXX

 **August 21, 2681; 1932 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon Academy (Headmaster's Office)**

Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang all stepped out of the elevator, spotting Ozpin sitting behind his desk and typing away at a computer. Ozpin didn't even look up from his computer when he spoke. "Please, come in." He beckoned. "What can I do for you girls?"

"Professor… do you remember when we told you about what happened in the Emerald Forest?" At Ruby's question, Ozpin simply nodded. "Well… we found this in the Forever Fall Forest." She walked over, placing the spent shell casing on Ozpin's desk.

Curious, Ozpin took the spent casing in his hand, flipping it over to look at the back. Unsurprisingly, he found the same collection of numbers and letters that occupied the same space on the last casing like this Ruby had brought to him, just after she expanded on her story with the rest of Team RWBY. "M232 APFSDS 14.5x114mm."

"What happened?" Ozpin asked, now a bit more sure of their previous story.

"We were all going to help Jaune and Cardin fend off a group of Ursa." Ruby began. "When we killed the six Ursa, I went over to help Jaune up… that's when I realized there was a seventh Ursa that had just come out of the forest and started charging at me."

As Ozpin nodded, Ruby continued her explanation. "I heard a gunshot, and saw the Ursa's head explode. There was some kind of smoke trail behind the bullet that did it, and I followed it back to where it came from. I know this sounds crazy, but Blake saw it too. There was some kind of figure in black armor there. I only saw it for a second before it disappeared. When I did see it, it was almost transparent."

"Miss Belladonna?" Ozpin asked, looking over to Blake.

"I saw it too…" Blake explained. "Ruby took off after it, but it was already gone. She found that casing embedded in the ground."

"Well…" Ozpin chuckled. "It seems as if you have a guardian angel." Before the girls could respond, he continued. "I know this has you all concerned, I do." Ozpin held his hands up, turning to face all of them. "I'll look into this and keep you all updated."

"Thank you, Professor." Ruby said. "Do you need us to point you to where it first happened?"

"I think your description will be more than enough, Miss Rose." Ozpin smiled. "I'll be sure to keep your offer in mind, however."

XXXXX

 **August 23, 2681; 0603 Hours**

 **Remnant, FOB Alpha**

"Major, something's tripped the motion sensors on the northern end of the canyon." The ONISEC Lieutenant's voice came over his comms. Ivan stood upright from his seat on a crate almost immediately.

"Grimm?" He asked.

"Unlikely." The Lieutenant responded. " Two small contacts, three hundred meters out, bearing 031. They register as roughly human-sized."

"Shit…" Ivan muttered to himself. "Omega, up and at 'em!" He declared, grabbing his helmet from its position on the crate. The three other members of his team jumped up from their positions, grabbing their weapons and helmets. As uncomfortable as it might be, they were forced to spend almost all of their time in their MJOLNIR, simply for convenience's sake. They didn't have the infrastructure down here to support one of the robotic removal apparatuses. On the one occasion they did take off their armor, they had spent almost an hour putting it back on, piece by piece.

As the SPARTANs of Fireteam Omega pulled their helmets on, Ivan spoke into his comms as he grabbed his MA5. "Lieutenant, hold this FOB at all costs."

"Understood, sir." The Lieutenant acknowledged.

"Omega, on me!" Ivan motioned with his rifle, and exited the tent. Once outside, he took off in a full sprint towards the small pass leading out of the canyon. As they emerged over the top of the canyon, they all activated their active camouflage units and began moving towards the ping on their motion trackers. Ivan sent pings to his teammates, ordering Lauren to swing around and approach them from the rear, Jacob from the right, and Mary from the left. As they each sent their acknowledged pings, the three other members of Omega took off.

He knew that this was bound to happen eventually, ever since he had allowed the girls to take those shell casings. He knew that it was probably not the _best thing_ to simply allow them to take evidence of their existence on this planet, but what else could he do? No amount of directives from ONI could make him disregard his training and kill a fellow human for such an asinine reason, much less a bunch of kids.

After a few moments of slowed movement through the forest, he spotted his quarry. Just like the tracker suggested, it was a pair of Humans. One was a man, his hair a light gray. He had a pair of spectacles propped up on his nose, a black suit with a dark green coat and scarf, and carried a cane in one hand. He didn't appear to have any walking disability.

The second figure was a woman with light blonde hair, tied back in a bun. Her green eyes scanned her surroundings carefully, but she didn't seem to notice the light shimmering of the SPARTAN's active camo unit. She wore a white shirt with a keyhole neckline and, strangely enough, a black pencil skirt with heels. How she managed to traverse the forest with clothes like that was beyond the SPARTAN's imagination, but he chalked it up to one of the many strange qualities that this planet had in store.

As the two slowly approached his position, his VISR highlighted the rest of his team. All of them were now in position, and the "Ready" pings blinked across his HUD. When Ivan sent his through, he deactivated his camo module and raised his rifle. "Halt!" Ivan ordered, his voice firm and authoritative.

The two stopped immediately, obviously surprised to find themselves suddenly staring down the barrel of a rifle that was being wielded by a man clad in a suit of armor unlike anything they'd ever seen. "We have you surrounded." Ivan continued. "You, drop the cane." He gestured towards the man with his rifle. Thankfully, the man complied and let the cane fall to the ground. "Good…" Ivan said. "Kick it towards me." Again, the man complied. Ivan knew enough about this world to know that _anything_ could be a weapon. "Who are you?"

For a moment, the man looked around, spotting the two SPARTANs that were on his flanks. When he did respond, his voice was surprisingly level and calm for having four weapons pointed at him. "Who are _you?_ " He asked. "You're obviously not from around her."

"What makes you say that?" Ivan asked.

"The 'UNSC' stamped on your chest." The man easily responded.

Ivan tightened the grip on his rifle. "What does it mean to you?" He asked, suddenly finding his reticle directly on the man's chest.

"United Nations Space Command." The man responded. Much to Ivan's internal surprise, the woman to his right looked just as surprised has he was. "Most people here know it only by the acronym. You're largely dismissed as superstitious nonsense. Only a… select few people on Remnant know where we _truly_ come from."

Ivan was well and truly shocked. The sheer fact that this man had rattled off all of that with no hesitation, no second thoughts… he _definitely_ knew what the UNSC was. "Again… who are you?" Ivan asked.

"Professor Ozpin." The man responded. "Headmaster of Beacon Academy. This is Glynda Goodwitch, a teacher at Beacon. And you?"

To Ozpin and Goodwitch, the man before them remained silent. In reality, he had deactivated his armor's vocal systems. "Wait one." He finally said, closing his vocal systems again. "Merlin, establish comms with FLEETCOM on Reach, get me Admiral Bishop immediately."

"Understood, SPARTAN." Merlin nodded.

Ivan waited for a few moments as the Slipspace communication passed through the void, eventually arriving at Reach's Waypoint Network. In an instant, Admiral Bishop's voice came into his ears with only a few milliseconds of lag. "SPARTAN, what is it?"

"Admiral, we've been compromised." Ivan explained. "A local has pre-existing knowledge of the UNSC and has made contact. How should we proceed?"

"I thought your report said the locals didn't know their origins?" Bishop asked.

"It seems one does." Ivan answered.

"I assume elimination is impossible?" Bishop asked.

"Yes, sir." Ivan responded. "He's well-known. Elimination or capture is out of the question. It would raise too many questions. He wants my name."

"Give it, your rank, and your serial number." Bishop answered. "Keep me on the line, I want to listen to everything."

"Aye, sir." Ivan acknowledged, re-opening his armor's vocal systems. "My name is Major Ivan Chesnokov, serial number: C-124-008-1." Ivan answered, looking to Ozpin.

"Why are you here, Major?" Ozpin asked.

"To reestablish contact with a lost UNSC colony." Bishop spoke into his ear. "We're here to learn about you're planet's society, culture, and technological development."

"To reestablish contact with a lost UNSC colony." Ivan parroted, lowering his weapon. He motioned for his team to do the same. "We're here to learn about your planet's society, culture, and technological development."

"Well, I must thank you for assisting my students in the Forever Fall Forest." Ozpin complimented. "At least, I assume that was you."

"It was." Ivan nodded, not hearing anything from Bishop.

"Well, you say you're here to learn…" Ozpin began, looking to the SPARTAN. "I _am_ the headmaster of an academy, after all." At the SPARTAN's silence, he elaborated a bit more. "Of course, your true identity would remain a secret. To the rest of my students, you would be a transfer student from another academy."

Ivan closed his vocals again. "Sir?" He asked, looking to Bishop for clearance.

"Wait one, SPARTAN." Bishop said, the comms suddenly going silent. After a few seconds, the Admiral returned. "Permission granted, SPARTAN." Bishop answered. "Only one of your team is permitted, however."

"Sir?" Ivan asked, confused.

"A SPARTAN team has been deemed a security necessity for the research station on the planet's surface." Bishop explained. "HIGHCOM cannot spare another team to replace yours at this time. ONI would prefer that you take the reins on this, SPARTAN. You're the most well-suited agent they have planetside."

"Understood, sir." Ivan nodded. "Alright…" Ivan nodded, re-opening his vocal systems. "I'm the only one available for this, however."

"Hmm…" Ozpin hummed. "A bit of a disappointment. Huntsmen generally train in groups of four."

"My team can only spare one member for this." Ivan explained.

Ozpin sighed. He couldn't pass up a learning experience such as this one. "Very well… I'll attach you to another pre-existing team, then. I assume you already have a Scroll?"

"Indeed." Ivan nodded, tapping a compartment on his armor.

"Good…" Ozpin responded with a smile. "If you'll come with me, I can get everything set up for you before the week starts tomorrow. You're lucky it's a weekend."

Ivan couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Omega, stand down and report back to your posts." He ordered. "Lieutenant, you have command."

"Understood, sir." Lauren nodded.

"I'll be back in a moment, I need to get my personal belongings." Ivan said, earning a nod from Ozpin.

XXXXX

 **August 24, 2681; 0800 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon Academy (Dormitories)**

Ruby was busy getting her supplies all squared away for a day of classes when a series of short knocks sounded against her dorm room's door. Surprised that someone was knocking this early, she made her way over to the door, unlocked it, and pulled it open. Much to her surprise, Professor Ozpin was on the other side, along with a new face that she didn't recognize. He was tall… _really_ tall. He was at least a foot taller than her, probably more.

He was wearing a normal Beacon Academy uniform that seemed just a bit too small for him. He had a short, neatly-kept head of black hair, bright blue eyes, and a cleanly-shaven face. If Ruby had to guess, he was probably just a bit older than Yang was. He had a duffel bag slung over his shoulder, and a hard plastic case in his right hand. "My apologies if I've disturbed you, Miss Rose." Ozpin apologized, looking to Ruby.

"Oh, it's no problem Professor. I was just getting ready." Ruby answered with a smile. "Who's this?"

"This is a transfer student from Atlas." Ozpin looked to the man beside him.

The taller man looked down to Ruby, a small smile on his face. Deep down, unbeknownst to Ruby, the man was very nearly about to blow a gasket. Ozpin had promised that his identity would remain a secret, and he sets him up with _her team_? He shoved those feelings down. He'd make it work. "Name's Ivan." He said. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Ivan!" Ruby responded with a broad smile. "I'm Ruby."

"I'm afraid that, despite it being a last-minute situation, I have no team of three to assign him to." Ozpin continued. "So, your team will be a special exception here at Beacon. You'll have five members instead of four."

"Cool!" Ruby smiled. "Welcome to Team RWBY, Ivan."

"I'll let you get settled in, Ivan." Ozpin gave him a small smile before turning to head back to his office. "Enjoy your time at Beacon." He craned his neck to look to the SPARTAN. "I'll have a bed brought up for you from storage tonight." Ivan internally smiled. With any luck, Ozpin would be bringing the pieces of his armor up with it, just like he had explained to him last night on the ride in.

"Thank you, Professor." Ivan said. " _Thanks…"_ He thought to himself, sighing internally.

"Come on in!" Ruby beckoned in, stepping aside and allowing the newcomer into the dorm.

As Ivan stepped in, he couldn't help but smile. The dorm room somewhat reminded him of his home on Earth. There were posters on the wall, books on the shelves, a closet stocked with various clothes, and desks littered with papers and pens. The bunk beds were certainly a surprise to him, mostly due to their precarious support. It was ropes for the left-most set, and stacked books for the right-most. "Beds look a little unstable there, Ruby." Ivan commented, a smirk on his face.

"Eh…" Ruby shrugged. "They work." She plopped down in one of the wooden chairs. "Set your stuff down anywhere, we can find a place for it later."

"Sounds good." Ivan put his duffel bag down in a corner, placing the plastic case down beside it.

As he placed his belongings down on the floor, he heard the bathroom door open. "Hey Rubes, who was at the-" The voice stopped, seeing the new figure in the room. Ivan recognized the voice as belonging to Yang, the blonde one. He turned around, seeing that she was dressed in her school uniform, her hair damp from a recent shower.

"Oh, Yang!" Ruby said. "This is Ivan, he's on our team now."

"Really?" Yang asked, confused. "We've already got a full team."

"Ozpin didn't have any teams with three, so he put me with you guys." Ivan shrugged. "I just transferred from Atlas."

"Oh man, Weiss is going to like you." Yang said with a smirk. At least Ivan had a name to attach to the white-haired girl now. "Where are Weiss and Blake, by the way?"

"In the cafeteria, getting breakfast." Ruby explained.

"Ah…" Yang said, nodding. "So, Ivan… how are you liking Vale so far?"

"It's not too bad." Ivan shrugged. "A bit humid, but I can't complain."

"True enough." Yang groaned. "God, the weather right now is awful. Anyways… welcome to the team!"

"Thanks." Ivan smiled.

"So… what's your weapon?" Ruby asked.

"Hmm?" Ivan hummed.

"She asks everyone what their weapon is." Yang clarified.

"Ah…" Ivan nodded. "Well…" He walked over to the plastic case and flipped a few retention clips open. He pulled his BR85N-2 out of its case, racking back the charging handle to ensure it was clear.

"Whoa…" Ruby said as Ivan walked towards the two, keeping the weapon's barrel pointed towards the floor. "That's so cool!"

"Damn… that thing looks fancy." Yang said, looking to the bullpup rifle. Thankfully, Ivan had the sense to remove all of the UNSC markings from it.

"Seen me through a lot of shit…" Ivan smirked, patting the side of his rifle. "It's a damn fine rifle."

"What's that?" Ruby asked, pointing to the cylinder protruding from the bottom of the barrel shroud, parallel to the barrel.

"A grenade launcher." Ivan answered.

"Oh…" Ruby began. "My… God… That is awesome." That earned a chuckle from Ivan as he moved back towards the plastic case, placing the rifle back down inside and closing it inside. _"Yeah…"_ Ivan thought to himself. _"I can make this work."_


	3. Chapter 3: Settling in

**Chapter 3: Settling In**

 **August 24, 2681; 0930 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon Academy (Classroom 201: Grimm Studies)**

Ivan leaned back in his seat in the front row of the classroom. This was the first class of the day for his new team, and most of them seemed completely disinterested. Ruby was quietly doodling in her notebook, Yang was absentmindedly staring off into space, Blake was simply watching Professor Port ramble on about a tangential story, and Weiss seemed somewhat attentive. His first meeting with Weiss and Blake had gone rather well. The both of them welcomed him to their team just as Ruby and Yang had. Weiss had questioned him a bit on how he liked Atlas, and he responded with information that Merlin fed him through the neural implant. None of them seemed any the wiser about him, but he wasn't taking anything for granted.

Even with Port's near-constant tangents, Ivan found the information he received from the man invaluable when it came to the Grimm. He had started a small collection of notes on any relevant information, which he would send back to Reach with his next report that was due in a few days' time. From what he understood, his last report on the Faunus and Dust threw ONI for a bit of a loop. After Evans had confirmed that this 'Dust' was the cause of scanner interference, as well as the seemingly-endless properties of the substance, the _Avalon_ had been called back to Reach with samples of it for study. The ship would be back in about a week, hopefully with more personnel for the ground-side research camp.

"Now… Mister Chesnokov…" Port began, grabbing Ivan's attention. "Since you're a new student from another academy, I'm curious. What do you think the best way to take down a Deathstalker is?"

"Depends on the situation." Ivan answered with a shrug. "If you've got range on it, a high-caliber round into one of its eyes. If you're close, explosives underneath it."

"Ah, now there's the correct answer!" Port smiled beneath his moustache. "It does indeed depend on the situation." Ivan settled back in as Port rambled on about another tangential, and very likely embellished, story.

XXXXX

 **August 24, 2681; 1200 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon Academy (Cafeteria)**

Ivan sat down next to Blake on the end of the cafeteria table. He let out an audible sigh. "Man, I thought you guys were exaggerating about Oobleck." He shook his head. "I can safely say that I was wrong."

"Ooh yeah…" Yang nodded, taking a bite of her sandwich. "Most of us don't even listen, we just read the book and hope for the best."

"You? Read?" Weiss scoffed, looking over to Yang. "Funny."

Yang pointedly ignored the jab. "So, Ivan. Now that you've got a taste, what do you think of Beacon?"

Ivan shrugged. "It's a good school."

"Better than Atlas?" Ruby asked.

"Haven't seen enough yet." Ivan answered. "I'll get back to you on that."

"Well, you've been doing very well so far." Weiss piped up. "I think Ozpin made a good choice putting you with us."

 _"_ _I'm not so sure about that one."_ Ivan thought to himself. "Thanks." Ivan smirked, nodding.

XXXXX

 **August 24, 2681; 1700 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon Academy (Team RWBY Dormitory)**

Ivan walked into the dorm he would be sharing with Team RWBY. Just as Ozpin had promised, a fifth bed was now occupying the room. Beneath it, he could see four hardened, unmarked green crates the UNSC used to transport ordinance and ammunition. Each of them contained various pieces of his armor, and were locked by a biometric scanner. He allowed himself a smirk as he placed his belongings at the foot of the bed that was tucked between Ruby and Weiss' bunk beds and the closet.

"Wow…" Yang commented, seeing the new bed. "Ozpin works fast."

"No kidding…" Ruby affirmed. Ruby watched as Ivan reached into his waistband, removing a holster containing his M6 SOCOM magnum. "Wait… did you have that all day?" She asked.

"Yeah…" Ivan nodded, opening the footlocker that had been placed at the foot of the bed, and placing the weapon inside.

"Huh… I had no idea." Ruby murmured.

"That's the point of concealed carry." Ivan smirked. "Doesn't do you much good if you leave the gun visible."

"True." Ruby shrugged.

Ivan sat down on the bed and started removing his shoes, simply placing them down atop the footlocker. He was certainly surprised. He was _almost_ starting to enjoy this.

XXXXX

 **August 29, 2681; 1700 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon Academy (Dormitories)**

"God, Cardin's an ass." Yang grumbled, taking point on their route back to the dorm room. "I'm glad you kicked his ass, Ivan."

"I'll admit… it felt good." Ivan smirked, following behind Yang. Earlier today, Ivan had seen Cardin harassing a young rabbit Faunus girl in the cafeteria. Pulling her ears, calling her a freak, essentially just encapsulating everything that could be wrong with Humanity. Now that he had been on Remnant long enough to witness the discrimination against Faunus firsthand, it was no surprise to him that an organization like the White Fang existed. At the very least, Goodwitch had matched him against Cardin in their combat class. If he had to guess, he had earned some serious points in Yang's book with what he did.

"That was pretty cool." Ruby said, walking behind her sister as she craned her neck over to look at Ivan.

"Oh man, it was hilarious." Yang laughed. "'I'll keep the rifle away, make it fair for you' he says." Yang shot Ivan a smirk.

"How did you move so fast?" Weiss asked, still taken aback by the SPARTAN's quick movements and terrifyingly effective fighting style. The fight had barely begun and it was already over. Cardin's arm was pinned behind his back, and Ivan's foot was firmly planted on the side of his head. "I mean… you're no Ruby, but that was terrifying."

"My Semblance." Ivan answered with a shrug. "Reflexes. Time seems to slow for me."

"That's a pretty cool Semblance." Yang added. "It'd be useful."

As they approached their dorm room, Yang pressed her scroll to the reader on the wall, allowing he lock to click open. Ivan made his way over to the bed, going about his normal routine until he heard his name called out from across the room. "Ivan!" Yang shouted. "Want to go into Vale with us tonight?"

"Sure." Ivan shrugged. "Been meaning to head into town anyways. What did you guys have planned?"

"Just some shopping and dinner. Maybe a movie if we get bored." Yang shrugged.

"Sure, count me in." Ivan nodded.


	4. Chapter 4: Vytal Festival

**Chapter 4: Vytal Festival**

 **September 29, 2681; 1431 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vale City**

Another week at Beacon had passed, and Ivan was walking the streets of Vale City with Team RWBY. He had fallen into somewhat of a routine over the past few weeks, which was a bit strange for the SPARTAN. He'd wake up every morning around 0700, get ready, go to class until 1700, head back to the dorm, then fall asleep sometime around 2200 Hours. Occasionally, he'd send a report back to FLEETCOM, and get a message of acknowledgement on his Datapad. It was a good system, and ONI was eating up the intel he was sending their way. Sadly, they weren't any closer to sending more personnel to Remnant.

Weiss had dragged everyone out of bed early so she could "greet the other students, as it was her duty as a representative of Vale." Ivan knew what that really meant, Weiss wanted to scout out the competition for the upcoming Vytal Festival Tournament. "Oh the Vytal Festival! This is wonderful!" Weiss declared, happily clasping her hands together.

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much, Weiss." Ruby said, smiling. "It's kinda weirding me out."

"How could you not smile?" Weiss asked, horrified by Ruby's insinuation. "A festival dedicated to the cultures of the world! There'll be dances, parades! Oh, the amount of planning that goes into this festival is simply breathtaking!"

"Man, only you could make a festival sound boring." Yang joked.

"Quiet, you." Weiss said.

"Remind me why we're spending our Friday afternoon visiting these stupid docks…" Yang said.

"I heard that students from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today." Weiss explained. "And as a… representative of Beacon, I feel it is my duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom."

"She wants to spy on them to get the upper hand in the tournament." Blake said, the slightest hint of a grin on her face.

Weiss gasped. "You can't prove that."

"I think she just did." Ivan said with a grin.

Ruby stopped in her tracks, turning to look down a street. "Whoa…" Ivan turned his head, spotting a shop with shattered windows, a broken down door, and Dust covering the entirety of the ground around it. There were a few police cars out front, along with a lot of police tape covering the area. Everyone made their way over to the police line, Ruby speaking up to the officer who was typing something into a tablet. "What happened here?"

"Robbery." The bearded officer in aviator sunglasses answered simply. "Second Dust shop to be hit this week."

"That's terrible." Yang said.

Ivan and Ruby's attention was grabbed by the second police officer. "Hey check it out, they left all the money again!"

"It just doesn't make a lick 'a sense." The first officer said. "Who needs this much Dust?"

"I dunno, an army?"

"I'm thinkin'… the White Fang?"

"I'm thinkin' we don't get paid enough."

Weiss huffed. "Hmm… the White Fang. What an awful bunch of degenerates."

"What's your problem?" Blake asked, placing a hand on her hip.

"My problem?" Weiss asked. "I simply just don't care for the criminally insane."

"The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths." Blake said, raising her voice for the first time that Ivan has ever seen. "They're a collection of misguided Faunus."

"Misguided?" Weiss asked. "They want to wipe Humanity off the face of the planet!" That last bit of information caught Ivan's attention.

"So then they're _very_ misguided." Blake responded. "Even then, it doesn't explain why they'd rob a Dust shop in the middle of Downtown Vale."

"Blake's got a point." Ruby said. "Besides, the Police never caught that Torchwick guy I ran into."

"Torchwick?" Ivan asked.

"He's a guy that robbed a Dust shop I was in." Ruby answered. "He took all of the Dust, but left the money. Maybe it was him."

Ivan nodded, but he was cut off by Weiss before he could speak. "That doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum. Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal."

"That's a hasty generalization." Ivan said, crossing his arms.

As if to make Ivan's point mean that much less to the heiress, someone from a nearby boat shouted. "Hey! Stop that Faunus!"

Team RWBY turned around, spotting a blonde-haired Faunus with a tail running across the deck of a cargo ship. He shouted something at the dock workers as he jumped from the ship, onto dry land. "You no-good stowaway!" One of the dockworkers shouted as Team RWBY approached.

"Hey!" The monkey Faunus shouted back. "A no-good stowaway woulda' been caught, I'm a great stowaway!" Ivan couldn't help but crack a smile at that.

"Hey!" One of the two officers shouted, tossing a rock at the Faunus, which he deftly dodged from his hanging place on a streetlamp. He had is tail coiled around the neck of a streetlight, hanging upside down with a smug look on his face. "Get down from there this instant!"

The Faunus simply laughed and jumped from his streetlight, running up the stairs towards the actual street. As he passed by Team RWBY, he shot everyone a quick wink as he bolted by, followed by the two police officers. "Well…" Ivan smirked. "You wanted to see the competition, and there it goes."

"Quick!" Weiss said. "We have to observe him!" Weiss took off running, followed by Yang and Ruby. Ivan noticed that Blake took just a little bit longer to get going, but he eventually followed behind her. After rounding two corners, Weiss ran clear into a tall girl with… really bright green eyes, red hair, and a pink bow in her hair. "Damnit… he got away!" Weiss said, not realizing that there was a girl lying on her back just underneath her.

"Uhh… Weiss." Yang said, pointing down. Weiss looked down, spotting the bright green eyes and cheerful appearance.

"Salutations!" The new girl said, cheerfully. She had a really upbeat tone, but her movements seemed rather restrained.

Weiss jumped back, standing upright. Ruby spoke up next. "Umm… hello."

"Are you… okay?" Yang asked.

The new girl beamed a smile at Yang. "I'm wonderful, thank you for asking." Everyone looked back and forth at one another before Yang spoke again. "Do you… wanna get up?"

The redhead seemed thoughtful for a moment. "Yes." She gave a nod as she jumped up onto her feet, causing all of Team RWBY to take a step back.

The new girl spoke up again. "I'm Penny, it's a pleasure to meet all of you."

"I'm Ruby, nice to meet you too."

"I'm Weiss."

"Blake."

"I'm Ivan…"

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" Yang asked, earning her a smack on the side by Blake. "Oh, I'm Yang."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Penny responded.

"You already said that." Weiss pointed out.

Penny seemed thoughtful again. "So I did."

"Well…" Weiss began. "Sorry for running into you." Everyone turned to walk away.

Before she turned, Ruby spoke up again. "Nice to meet you, friend."

As everyone left and started walking again, Yang spoke up. "Well… she was weird."

Then somehow, without anyone noticing, Penny managed to get in front of all of Team RWBY, stopping them dead in their tracks. Even Ivan, with all of his enhancements, couldn't hear her move in front of them. "What did you call me?" Penny asked.

"I'm really sorry!" Yang said, instantly feeling bad. "I didn't think you heard me!"

"No, not you." Penny walked over to Ruby. "You." Ruby stammered for a few moments, uttering "I don't know" more times in one sentence than Ivan thought physically possible. "You called me 'friend!'" Penny said. "Am I really your friend?"

"Uh…" Ruby turned to look at her team, everyone but Ivan was shaking their heads and making hand motions. Ivan seemed indifferent. "Sure… why not?" That prompted everyone, with the exception of Ivan, to smack their own foreheads and sigh.

Penny smiled broadly. "Sensational! We can paint our nails, try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!"

Ivan grinned to himself while Ruby leaned over to Weiss. "Was this what it like when you first met me?"

Weiss cracked the slightest hint of a smile. "Not even close, she seems far more coordinated."

"So… what're you doing in Vale?" Yang asked.

"I'm fighting in the tournament!" Penny explained.

"Wait, you're fighting?" Weiss asked.

"I'm combat ready!" Penny declared proudly, giving a quick salute. Ivan cracked an even wider smile.

"Forgive me, but you hardly look the part." Weiss said.

"Says the girl wearing a dress." Blake said, her arms crossed.

"It's a combat skirt!" Weiss defended.

"Yeah!" Ruby said, swatting the sides of her own dress. She and Weiss quickly high-fived.

"Wait a minute… if you're here to fight in the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey-tailed… rapscallion from the boat?" Weiss decided to change her vocabulary to describe the monkey Faunus from a few moments ago, under the… encouragement from an angry glare from Blake.

"Who?" Penny asked.

"The filthy Faunus from the boat!"

"Why do you keep saying that?" Blake demanded, raising her voice again.

"Huh?" Weiss asked.

"Stop calling him a rapscallion, stop calling him a degenerate! He's a person!" Blake said, nearly shouting.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Weiss said. "Would you like me to stop referring to the trash can as a trash can, or this lamppost as a lamppost?"

"Stop it!" Blake demanded,

"Stop what?" Weiss asked. "That Faunus clearly broke the law! Give him time, and he'll probably join up with those other Faunus in the White Fang."

Blake clenched her teeth and her fists. "Ugh… you ignorant little brat!" Blake stormed away.

"How dare you talk to me like that!" Weiss shouted, following Blake. "I'm your teammate!"

"You are a judgmental little girl!" Blake responded.

"We should probably get going…" Ivan said while Blake and Weiss continued arguing.

"Where are we going?" Penny asked, cheerfully.

Ivan sighed, nodding to Ruby and Yang. "Let's get them back to Beacon before they tear each other apart."

XXXXX

 **September 29, 2681; 1631 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon Academy (Team RWBY Dormitory)**

Even after returning to Beacon, Weiss and Blake continued fighting. "So you admit it!" Weiss declared. "The White Fang is just a radical group of terrorists!"

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" Blake said. Ivan sighed as he tossed his concealed pistol into the drawer of his desk.

"I don't understand why this is causing such a problem!" Weiss said.

"That _is_ the problem."

"You realize that you're defending an organization that hates humanity, don't you? The Faunus of the White Fang are pure evil."

"There's no such thing as pure evil!" Blake shouted. "Why do you think they hate Humanity so much? It's because of people like Cardin, people like you that force the White Fang to take such drastic measures!"

"People like me?"

"You're discriminatory!"

"I'm a victim!" Weiss half whined-half shouted. "You want to know why I despise the White Fang? Why I don't particularly trust the Faunus?" Weiss slumped her shoulders and looked out the window, watching the shattered moon. "It's because they've been at war with my family for years. War as in actual bloodshed. My grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was a child, I've watched family and friends disappear, board members executed, an entire train car full of Dust stolen. Every day, my father would come home furious, and that made for a very difficult childhood!"

Ruby walked over, placing a hand on Weiss's shoulder. "Weiss… I-"

"No!" Weiss said, turning to face Blake again. "You know why I despise the White Fang? It's because they're a bunch of liars, thieves, and murderers!"

"Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!" Blake shouted. Ivan, and everyone else, took special notice of the use of "we" in that statement. Weiss actually took a step back. Blake stepped back as well, bumping into her night stand. "I… I-" She bolted out of the room, leaving a Shadow Clone behind.

"Blake! Wait!" Ruby called out, but to no avail.

Blake ran from the dorm complex, towards the statue near the center of Beacon. Because it was so late, and on a Friday night, there was no one walking the cobblestone paths of Beacon. She came to a stop at the foot of the statue, commemorating the warriors of the Faunus War, human and Faunus alike, and reached up to undo the omnipresent bow on her head. As she pulled the strip of fabric from her head, the pair of cat ears on the top of her head twitched slightly. She wiped the tears from her cheek with the back of her sleeve.

"I knew you'd look better without the bow!" A familiar voice said. Blake turned around, finding the blonde monkey Faunus to be resting on top of a lamppost. "You alright?"

"No… not really…" Blake said, sniffling.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"Yeah… can we go into town?"

"Sure."

XXXXX

 **October 1, 2681; 0600 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon Academy (Team RWBY Dormitory)**

Ruby woke up early on Sunday morning, stretching her arms out. Her expression went from neutral to borderline depressed when she saw Blake's empty bunk. She looked over to the fifth bed in the room, finding Ivan was already sliding his pistol into a concealed holster. "We still going to look for her today?" Ivan asked, adjusting his jacket to cover the handgun.

Ruby nodded, looking around the room, noticing that Yang and Weiss were gone too. "Where's Yang and Weiss?"

"Mess." Ivan answered. "They're getting food, then we're heading out."

Ruby nodded and jumped from her bunk, grabbing her dress, cloak, and Crescent Rose. She made her way into the bathroom, quickly taking a shower and changing into her normal attire. As she came out, she spotted Ivan quickly sliding something into his pocket. It looked almost like a Scroll, but she couldn't tell. "Ready?" Ivan asked, standing up.

"Ready." Ruby answered.

Ruby and Ivan quickly met up with Yang and Weiss, who handed them a small bag filled with their breakfast. They made their way through the courtyard of Beacon, boarded an airship which was bound for Vale City, and began walking the streets of Vale once they landed. As usual, Ivan's imposing stature drew more than a few strange looks as he walked along with two girls in dresses, and another in shorts. "Do you think she's okay?" Yang asked.

"I'd imagine so." Ivan replied.

"Blake's a big girl, she can take care of herself." Weiss said, disinterested.

"Weiss, c'mon, she's one of our teammates." Yang said.

"Is she? We all heard what she said."

"Weiss…" Ivan began, everyone turning to look at him. "Can you do me a huge favor and cut it out?"

"Excuse me?" Weiss asked, indignantly.

"You know exactly what I mean." Ivan said. "It's that very same ignorant attitude that made Blake leave. Based on what she said, I'm going to take a wild guess and say that she's a Faunus. If she is, you essentially told that sweet, shy, bookworm that she was a degenerate, liar, thief, and a murderer. It's that exact attitude that started that horrible damn Faunus War, it's that same attitude that turned the White Fang from a peaceful Faunus Rights Organization into a militant group, and it's that same attitude that keeps the Faunus in their shitty second-class citizenship that they're forced to live in!"

"Now-" Weiss attempted to speak up, but she was cut off by Ivan again.

"I nearly fed Cardin his teeth for what he was doing to Velvet in the Mess Hall a few weeks ago. I nearly kicked his ass through his neck for what he said in Oobleck's that same day. I didn't do what I've done just to let shit like this keep happening. Whatever the White Fang did to you and your family, that's all in the past, and I _seriously_ doubt that Blake is capable of doing what you accused her of doing! I do _not_ want to hear any more of that shit! Am I clear?" Everyone stood in stunned silence by Ivan's sudden outburst of anger, which only seemed to make him even more furious. "Am I crystal-fucking-clear?" Weiss sighed and nodded. "Good. Now, I say we split up. We can cover more ground that way. You three look around downtown, and I'll check the outskirts of the City, like the docks and stuff."

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked.

"I'm sure. If I find her, I'll let you guys know immediately."

"Alright, good luck." Yang said, giving Ivan a curt nod. Ivan returned the nod as the three other members of his team walked away, heading deeper into town.

Ivan continued walking along the edge of town. A few people gave him strange looks, but he ignored most of them. After a few minutes of walking around by the docks, he heard a familiar voice, which he recognized as the voice of the monkey Faunus from a few days ago. He turned to look down a street, finding him and Blake sitting at a table off to the side of a coffee shop. Ivan let out a sigh of relief and began walking towards the shop. As he walked, he saw Blake look over to him, then attempt to get up. He held up his hands in a gesture of truce. "Blake, hold on!" He said. Blake stopped for a moment, seemingly willing to hear him out. "I sent the others downtown, it's just me."

Blake seemed to relent and sit back down. Ivan vaulted over the cast iron fence that separated the coffee shop's seating area from the street. He sat down in a metal chair, which creaked slightly as his weight pushed the metal feet against the cobblestone floor. "Uhh… who's this?" The other Faunus asked.

"This is Ivan." Blake answered curtly. "He's a teammate."

"Sun." The Faunus answered, holding out his hand.

"Pleasure to meet you." Ivan said, shaking his hand. "Now, Blake… what happened on Friday? Are you okay?"

Blake nodded. "I'm fine… it's just… what Weiss said really got me angry, and I blurted out some things I shouldn't have. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry." Ivan said. "That's part of the reason I snapped at her."

"Wait… you snapped at the Ice Queen?" Blake asked, grinning slightly. "You're usually almost as quiet as I am."

Ivan shrugged. "I hate ignorance just as much as you do, I guess. But you had us all scared."

"I know… I just needed to get away from Weiss for a while."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ivan asked.

"I was actually just about to tell Sun…" Blake began, sighing deeply. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable talking about it, actually."

"How about a trade then?" Ivan asked, resting his arms on the table. "A secret for a secret?" Ivan had thought it might go something like this if he found Blake first. As a bit of a preemptive measure, he had already cleared his plans with Admiral Bishop, who had _tentatively_ allowed the SPARTAN to do this.

After a moment of consideration, Blake suddenly realized just how little she knew about her new teammate. She relented with a nod. "Alright… I used to be a member of the White Fang."

Sun almost choked on the coffee he was drinking. "Wait, you used to be one of them?!"

"Yeah… I was a member most of my life. You could almost say I was born into it. After the Faunus War, the White Fang was meant to be a symbol of peace between Humanity and the Faunus. Even though we were promised equality, we were still treated terribly. The White Fang started protesting shops that wouldn't serve us, boycotting businesses, being peaceful. I attended every rally, every boycott, every picket. I thought we were doing the right thing, but I was just a youthful optimist. Five years ago, our old leader stepped down and a new one took his place, a new leader with new ideals. Eventually, our peaceful protests turned into armed and organized attacks. We burned stores that didn't serve us, stole from companies that used Faunus labor, everything. And the worst part… it was actually working. We were being treated as equals, but not out of respect… out of fear. So I left… I didn't want to use my talents to brutalize people like that… so I dedicated my life to becoming a huntress."

"Blake…" Ivan began. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Blake replied. "The fact that someone other than me knows about it… it honestly feels like I just got the weight of a truck off my shoulders."

"So…" Ivan sighed. "I'm a man of my word." Blake looked a bit surprised as Ivan's demeanor suddenly shifted. "Blake… can I trust you to keep this a secret?" He glanced over to Sun. "This goes for you, too."

"You can trust me." Blake nodded. Ivan noticed a slight waggle of her bow. "I'm very good at keeping secrets."

"Same here." Sun nodded.

"Sun, with all due respect, I'm not sure I believe that." Ivan sighed. "It's nothing against you personally, I just don't know you."

"I get it." Sun nodded, standing up. "I'll be inside. It looks like something the two of you need to talk about."

"Thanks, Sun." Blake said, smiling. Ivan noted the monkey Faunus' broad smile as he made his way towards the coffee shop, stepping through the glass door and standing in line.

"Alright…" Ivan sighed. "You know how we met for the first time at Beacon about a month ago?" Ivan asked.

"Yeah…" Blake nodded, eyebrow raising.

"Well… that wasn't exactly the first time." Ivan continued. "Not for me, at least."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"The Emerald Forest, about a month and a half ago." Ivan answered. "The Deathstalker and Nevermore? The 7.62 and 14.5mm casings on the cliff's edge?" At his words, Blake's eyes went wide. As far as she knew, nobody on Team RWBY had told Ivan about that. There was Ozpin, but she heavily doubted he'd just go around sharing something like that.

"No way…" Blake shook her head.

"Or, two weeks later, Forever Fall Forest." Ivan answered without missing a beat. "The clearing, where you helped Jaune and Cardin against the six Ursa?"

"That was you?!" Blake asked, her voice remaining _low_. "The black armor?!"

"In the flesh." Ivan smirked.

"Where is the armor?" Blake asked, looking for further proof.

"Why do you think those crates under my bed are locked up so tight?" Ivan asked, rhetorically. "Not sure why Ozpin put me on your team, but if there's one thing I've learned at Beacon… he's always got a plan."

"And the rifle?" Blake asked. "The big one you used to put down the Ursa?"

"Safely dismantled and tucked away in those same crates." Ivan answered.

"Wow…" Blake sighed, leaning back. It was like Ivan had just dropped a _mountain_ 's worth of weight on her shoulders. At least now he knew who the mysterious figure was. "Where did you get the armor?" Blake asked.

"Ah…" Ivan held up a hand. "I promised you _a_ secret, not all of them." He felt a smirk cross his face. "Please, for my sake, let's keep this between us."

That sounded rather ominous. Blake immediately nodded. "Of course, but… are you going to tell the others?"

"When the time's right." Ivan nodded.

"I expect proof." Blake responded with a smirk.

Ivan chuckled. "I expected as much… I'll show you the armor when we get back."

Ivan gave her a smile, which she actually returned for once. "So what's the plan now?" Ivan asked, looking over to the window of the coffee shop and waving Sun back over.

"I still don't believe that the White Fang are behind these attacks… they've never needed this much Dust before." Blake explained.

"What if they did?" Sun asked, drawing the attention of everyone at the table as he returned. "Think about it! The only way to prove that they didn't do it would be to go to the place where they would most likely go to if they were to do it, and not find them there… right?"

"As convoluted as that may have been, that actually makes a certain kind of sense." Ivan said, smiling slightly.

"The only thing is… I don't know where that would be." Blake explained.

"Well… while I was on the ship, I heard some guys talking about offloading a huge shipment of Dust coming from Atlas." Sun said.

"How huge?" Blake asked.

" _Huge_!" Sun said, holding out his arms to better accent his point. "Big Schnee Company freighter."

"You're sure?"

"Pretty sure."

"Well…" Ivan said, interrupting the planning. "What're we waiting for?"

"You're not going to call the others?" Blake asked.

"Not unless we _really_ need help." Ivan said, drawing a smile from Blake.

"Thanks." Blake said, smiling.

XXXXX

 **October 1, 2681; 1900 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vale (Dockyard 3)**

Ivan looked through the 2x optical scope on his Battle Rifle, scanning the central area of the docks for any activity. Blake was lying beside him, looking through a pair of binoculars. In the center of the docks was a massive pile of crates which had "Schnee Dust" painted on the side. They had been watching the area for almost two hours, and nothing has happened yet.

"Anything happen while I was gone?" Sun asked, lying down next to Blake.

"Nothing at all." Blake answered. "It's all just sitting there."

"That's good, right?" Blake nodded from her position. "I got you some food." He handed an apple over to Blake, who gratefully took it. "Thanks for the Lien, by the way." He said, giving Ivan a nod.

"No big deal." Ivan replied. A gust of wind suddenly startled everyone on the warehouse rooftop, causing them all to look up. Ivan spotted a police airship, which was scanning the area. The airship eventually set down, allowing a ramp to be lowered from the rear. After a moment, a man in a white tunic with black pants and a mask stepped out. On his back was the symbol of the White Fang, a wolf's head with three claw marks behind it.

"Oh no…" Blake whispered.

"Is that them?" Sun asked.

"Yes… It's them." Blake said.

"You really didn't think they were behind it, did you?" Ivan asked, noticing Blake's depressed demeanor.

"No… I think, deep down, I knew. I just… really didn't want to be right."

"Hey! What's the hold up?!" A rather angry voice shouted. "Don't you animals know that we're not the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment? So pick it up!" The voice belonged to a man with red hair. He had a bowler hat on, wore a white suit with black pants, and carried a cane, despite being able to walk perfectly fine without it.

"This isn't right…" Blake began. "The White Fang would never work with a Human, especially one like that. Cover me." Blake quickly unsheathed her blade and jumped from the roof, landing gracefully on her feet and ran over to take cover behind a crate.

"Hey wait!" Ivan said, sighing to himself.

"Is she always like this?" Sun asked.

"Nope… this is a first, actually." Ivan said, looking back down the scope of his rifle. He watched Blake run up behind the Human, quickly grabbing his shoulder and bringing her blade to his throat.

Ivan could clearly hear Blake's yelling as the White Fang raised their weapons at her, then lowered them as she yanked the bow from her head. Ivan finally got a look at her cat ears, although he wished it were under different circumstances. "Brothers of the White Fang! Why are you aiding this scum?" The man said something inaudible, but Blake's voice carried over to him. "Tell me what your little game is, or I'll end it right now!"

Suddenly, two more airships descended from the cloud layer, shining their searchlights at Blake and the man. "I wouldn't exactly call it little." The man shouted, firing an explosive charge from the bottom of his cane, throwing Blake back a few meters. She skidded across the ground, but quickly got to her feet before a second explosive landed where she had been mere moments before. Blake quickly dodged another barrage of explosive shots and ducked behind a crate.

Ivan and Sun had already dropped from the rooftop, but Sun had quickly climbed on top of a crate, and dropped an apple core on the man's head. He looked up, only to see the soles of Sun's shoes for the briefest moment before his head connected with the shoes, then the ground.

As Sun was surrounded by a dozen White Fang with assault rifles and swords, Ivan rolled out from behind a crate with his rifle primed. He fired a quick burst of gunfire, felling two White Fang with rifles. The others quickly turned to face the sound of gunfire, then were met with Sun's quarterstaff. While Sun focused on the White Fang with blades, Ivan focused on the ones with firearms.

Ivan moved with the deadly efficiency and speed that only a SPARTAN was capable of, making every shot his rifle fired count. As the last White Fang fell, the hat-wearing man stood in between a super-soldier and a Faunus with a staff. He moved with a speed that Ivan wasn't expecting. He fired an explosive at Ivan, then at Sun. The explosive slammed into Ivan's shields, causing them to flare up, but absorb the impact. His retinal implant showed that it had drained his shields by forty percent, and they had already begun recharging. He was _very_ happy that he had decided to head back to the dorm to grab his rifle and shield generator. Ivan was still pushed back a few feet and knocked onto his back. Sun was able to dodge the blast more effectively, as he anticipated it once he saw what happened to Ivan.

Before the man could fire again, Blake dropped down from the top of a stack of crates, using her semblance to flash forward and begin striking at the human. The man, much to everyone's surprise, was able to keep up with Blake's agile and quick fighting style, and even managed to land a few hits of his own. He must've seen Ivan getting to his feet, since he fired another blast in his direction once he knocked Blake back. This second impact reduced his shields by another forty percent, dropping them down to fifty percent. Ivan heard a familiar voice sound off from across the docks. "Hey!" Ruby shouted out, catching the man's attention.

He turned to face Ruby, a sinister smile crossing his lips. "Oh hello, Red. So great to see you!"

Ivan saw Penny behind Ruby, and she attempted to step forward. Ruby told her to stay back, but that gave Torchwick the time he needed to fire another shot from the base of his cane towards Ruby. Ivan's stomach twisted as it smacked into Ruby's chest, sending her flying back. Torchwick let out a loud laugh, but he was quickly silenced when Penny propelled herself from the rooftop, easily landing two hundred meters from where she started. Ivan's eyes went wide when he saw what was floating behind her, at least a dozen swords, all of them sharpened to a razor edge.

Three airships flew overhead and began strafing the center of the docks with nose-mounted autocannons. Penny somehow willed the blades to connect, as their designs permitted them to fit together like a puzzle piece. She blocked the incoming barrage of autocannons fire and somehow managed to throw one of the swords using a form of telekinesis, sending it through the cockpit of one of the airships and into the engine of another. Both spiraled out of the air and landed in the water. Torchwick quickly ran into the awaiting cargo hold of the one surviving gunship, muttering to himself. "These kids just keep getting weirder…" The airship managed to escape, even as Ivan continued firing his rifle at the engines. He sighed and dropped the rifle down to his chest once his magazine finally clicked empty.

Ivan watched in amazement as Penny drew all the swords back to her, folding them up, and slotted them somewhere in her back. Blake ran over to help Ivan up, seeing that he was still lying on the ground. Ruby and Penny ran over, ecstatic to finally see Blake. "Blake! You're alright!" Ruby ran over, wrapping her arms around Blake, who smiled at the gesture. "And you didn't call us when you found her!" Ruby said, looking to Ivan.

"To be fair…" Ivan began. "We kinda ran into some trouble."

A few moments later, ten police cars pulled into the area and began blockading the entire dock. Sixteen officers ran over, their weapons drawn, and shouted for the Beacon students, Sun, and Penny to hold their hands out. After a brief search, short questioning, and a confirmation of what happened after they consulted the security footage, they handed everyone their weapons back and let them sit on a few crates while they waited for further orders.

Weiss and Yang walked through the police line a few minutes after Blake finished her explanation. Ruby jumped off of her crate and ran forward. "Weiss! It isn't what it looks like. Blake explained the whole thing she doesn't actually have a bow she has kitty ears and they're actually pretty cute…" Ruby babbled on, but Weiss simply walked past, standing face to face with Blake. Ivan was fully ready to stand up and break up a fight.

Blake spoke up first. "Weiss, I want you to know that I'm no longer associated with the White Fang-"

"Stop!" Weiss said, surprising everyone. "Do you have any idea how long we've been searching for you?" Everyone remained silent, which Weiss took as a cue to continue. "Twelve hours today, alone. That means I've had twelve hours to think about this and I've come to the decision that… I don't care!"

"You don't care?" Blake asked, confused.

"You said you're not associated with them anymore, right?"

"I haven't been since-"

"Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah…" Weiss said, stopping Blake in her tracks. "I don't want to hear it. All I want is for when something this big comes up… you come to your teammates, and not some…" Weiss looked at Sun for a moment, then made the conscious decision to change her vocabulary. "Someone else."

Ivan watched as Blake teared up slightly. She wiped the tears away with the back of her sleeve, looking to all of her smiling teammates, even Weiss. "Of… Of course."

"Yeah!" Ruby exclaimed happily. "Team RWBY is back together!"

"I'm still not quite sure how I feel about you!" Weiss said, pointing to Sun, who laughed nervously.

"Wait…" Ivan began. "Where's Penny?" Everyone looked around, noticing that the eccentric redhead was gone. She was sitting next to Ivan a few moments before, now she was gone.

"Penny?" Ruby called out.

"She's probably talking to the Police." Blake explained. "She's the only one they didn't talk to before you guys showed up."

"Makes sense." Ivan said.

"I don't suppose we could go back?" Blake asked. "We have midterms tomorrow morning, then the semester's half over."

"Oh shit…" Ivan said. "We all forgot to study for those."

"They shouldn't be too hard." Weiss said.

"Oobleck, though." Ivan said, causing everyone's eyes to go wide.

"Let's go!" Everyone said, in near-perfect unison.

XXXXX

 **October 1, 2312 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon Academy (Team RWBY Dormitory)**

"Wow… you weren't lying." Blake commented, looking down at the collection of crates that Ivan had pulled out from beneath his bed. After Ruby, Weiss, and Yang had gone to the cafeteria to get some coffee to keep them going, Ivan had pulled Blake aside to make good on his promise.

He had placed his hand against some sort of scanner on each of the crates, causing each of them to open with a pressurized hiss. Within, Blake saw the various pieces of armor that he had described. It looked unbelievably advanced. "Certainly seems like Atlas tech." Blake commented.

"Yep." Ivan nodded, keeping his voice level as he lied. Much to his surprise, he actually felt bad about lying to Blake. She had confided a secret with him, and all he could offer was a secret wrapped in a lie. "State of the art." He reached into the crate containing the helmet, rummaging around for a moment. "And just to make sure you don't still think it's a coincidence…" Blake watched as he pulled out a large magazine. He pressed down on one of the massive rounds, sliding it out of the retention arms and handing it over to Blake.

She looked at the bullet, and couldn't help but laugh. It was the same one from both the Emerald Forest and Forever Fall. "So… I guess we did have a guardian angel."

"What was I supposed to do, let the Ursa chomp on Ruby?" He chuckled, taking the bullet back into his hand and slotting it back into the magazine.

"I guess not." Blake laughed, watching Ivan re-seal all of the containers and slide them back into their proper places. "Any plans to use that soon? Maybe go save another bunch of students out in the forest?"

Ivan laughed. "Maybe soon."


	5. Chapter 5: New Semester

**Chapter 5: New Semester**

 **January 12, 2682; 1203 Hours**

Ivan sat at a table in the mess hall with Team RWBY and Team JNPR. Ruby had gone off somewhere before they had all sat down to eat. Today was the last day of their two week break from classes, as the second semester of their first year started tomorrow. Ivan greatly needed, and enjoyed, the break. Since Christmas fell on the semester break, he had gone back to the FOB and celebrated with some of the UNSC personnel. He had given his team members some joke gifts he had bought in Vale. It was mostly just small things, but it was fun nevertheless. Merlin had even been kind enough to give his suit's systems a firmware update, making them a slight bit more power efficient. He had actually spent half of his time at the FOB, all under the guise of visiting friends in Atlas.

He and his team of young Huntresses had spent the last week of the break in Vale City, spending time simply walking around the massive urban sprawl or eating at the many restaurants downtown. After the incident between Blake and Weiss, as well as the fight at the Docks against Torchwick and his goons, Team RWBY became an even more cohesive unit. Weiss had actually formally apologized to Ivan and Blake, which made the process of unit cohesion that much easier. Blake actually began taking her bow off when they were in their dorm, and even began talking to people more and more. Over the break, Ivan had even become rather close friends with Velvet, and Cardin mysteriously found his rocket propelled locker twenty miles into the Forever Fall Forest, but Ivan wouldn't know anything about that.

Blake was reading over something in her notebook, but she was interrupted as Yang placed her chin on the Faunus's shoulder. "Whatcha' doing?" Yang asked, causing Blake to jump slightly.

Blake seemed to pause during her response for some reason. "Nothing… just going over notes from last semester." Ivan knew exactly what she was doing. She was running herself ragged. She had started doing this not long after their encounter at the Docks, but the break had gotten her to lighten up a bit. Now that they were back in school, Blake had seemingly gone back to running herself down to fumes.

Yang quickly caught a grape in her mouth that Nora had catapulted in her direction with her plastic spoon, giving Nora a thumbs up. Nora, in typical fashion, giggled as she loaded another. "Lame." Yang said, catching the second grape as well.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Ruby slammed a massive binder on the table with a grunt. The binder, easily, contained well over a thousand pages. Ivan scanned over the cover, which was backwards, but he deciphered the handwriting to read: "Best Day Ever Activities." Ivan couldn't help but smile. Ruby spoke up, preceding her speech by clearing her throat theatrically. "Sisters… friends… Weiss…" Ruby began.

"Hey!" Weiss said, but her protests went ignored by Ruby.

"Four-Score and seven minutes ago, I had a dream." Ruby said.

"This oughta be good." Yang whispered to Blake, who smiled slightly.

"I had a dream that one day, the five of us would come together as a team and have the most fun that anyone has ever had… ever!"

"Did you steal my binder?" Weiss asked, inspecting the binder more closely.

"I am not a crook." Ruby said, making a 'peace sign' with her hands. Ivan actually laughed at that, but he doubted that Ruby understood the reference to American History.

"What are you talking about?" Blake asked.

"I'm talking about kicking this semester off with a bang!" Ruby declared, happily.

"I always kick my semesters off with a _Yang_." Yang said, giving a thumbs up. "Eh? Eh?" She asked. Weiss simply face-palmed, Blake sighed, Ruby cocked an eyebrow, and Ivan actually hit his forehead against the table, sighing. If there was one thing that Yang loved more than her shotgun gauntlets _Ember Celica,_ it was puns.

"Get out." Ivan said, pointing to the door.

Ruby continued on after a tomato from Nora hit Yang in the forehead, followed by a collective 'boo' from Team JNPR. "Look guys, it's been a great two weeks, but between more exchange students coming, classes starting up again, and the tournament at the end of the year, this Semester is going to be really busy… Which is why I scheduled a series of wonderful events for us today."

"I don't know if I should be proud, or scared of what you have in store." Weiss said. As Weiss spoke, Yang threw an apple at Nora, who ducked. The apple wound up hitting the wall in the back of the Mess.

"I think I might sit this one out." Blake said.

"Sit out or not, I think we should spend this last day as a team." Weiss said. "I for one-" Weiss was interrupted as an _entire pie_ hit her in the face. Weiss wiped the cream top from her face, finding Nora to be sitting down, pointing to Ren, who simply sat there with his head in his hands, sighing.

Suddenly, the entire cafeteria exploded into activity. Food flew across the entire cafeteria as tables were quickly rearranged to form makeshift cover. The food fight eventually turned into a contest between Team JNPR and Team RWBY, as the other students ran outside to avoid the slaughter. It actually got to the point where Nora knocked Weiss into a pillar, and physically caused the pillar to collapse as she struck it with her makeshift Warhammer. Said Warhammer was actually just a pipe with a watermelon on the end.

Ruby managed to catch Weiss before she fell the thirty foot drop to the hard stone floor, and propped the unconscious heiress up next to Ivan, who was sitting in cover behind a table. Ivan decided to play along and lobbed a head of lettuce at Jaune, striking him in the chest. Yang and Ren were in a hand-to-hand fight, with Yang using cooked turkeys as a replacement for her gauntlets. Ren used a pair of leeks as a replacement for his normal machine pistols. After Ren got knocked back by Yang's brute force, Nora managed to hit Yang with an aggressive up-swing from her makeshift hammer, sending her through the roof. " _Jesus Christ…_ " Ivan thought to himself.

Ruby decided to end this. She used her semblance to propel herself well beyond the speed of sound, causing a whirlwind of dust, cans, and food to follow in her wake. The sheer force of the moving air knocked all of Team JNPR into the wall. They were all struck by food of every type, eventually causing the wall to become little more than a technicolor landscape of dripping soda and food. Once the wind finally subsided, all of team JNPR fell from the wall, coated in soda.

Ivan turned around, spotting Sun and a new person with blue hair, a formerly red jacket, jeans, and a rifle of some kind across his back. The newcomer was caked in grape soda from the waist-up. "I love these guys." Sun said, drawing a scowl from the newcomer.

A moment after, Professor Goodwitch stormed in, waving her wand/blackboard pointer. Using her semblance for Telekinesis, the entire cafeteria reassembled itself incredibly quickly, appearing as if nothing ever happened in the first place. This was the first time Ivan had ever seen Goodwitch use her Semblance, and it honestly terrified him. "Children…" Goodwitch said, obviously angry. "Please do not play with your food."

After everything settled down and Goodwitch's attention was grabbed by Ozpin, whom Ivan could hear clearly. "They're still children, Glynda… let it go. Let them play the part." Ivan joined his team, as well as JNPR, in laughing as they dusted themselves off as best they could.

"Let's go get cleaned up." Ivan said, pulling a piece of aluminum can from his jacket.

XXXXX

 **January 12, 2682; 1245 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon Academy (Library)**

After everyone from both teams took a shower, changed clothes, and calmed down a bit, they all met in the library. Ruby brought a board game with her and offered to sit out so Ivan could play. He decided to let her play and watch, so he could learn the rules. Based off what he's seen, he would wager that this game was a mix of the games Risk, Axis and Allies, and an old trading card game. He watched with an amused smile as the girls theatrically played the game, broadcasting their moves and decisions with a very… enthusiastic performance. After Weiss was given a quick rundown of the game, she quickly became one of the best players. She went from being on a near-constant losing streak to being three moves away from conquering Remnant.

Yang decided to use one of her trap cards, effectively disabling Weiss's army of metal miniatures. "I hate this game of emotions we play!" Weiss said, saddened after realizing that she just lost her chance at winning.

"Stay strong, Weiss, we'll get through this together!" Ruby said, hugging Weiss.

"Don't touch me!" Weiss said, hugging Ruby back with a saddened expression on her face.

"Blake, you're up." Yang said, happily.

"Oh… um… I'm not really feeling it right now." Blake said, obviously preoccupied by her thoughts.

"'Sup losers." Sun said, walking over with the blue-haired person in the red jacket that Ivan recognized from the cafeteria. "I never got to introduce you to my old friend here." Sun motioned to the blue-haired man.

"Umm… isn't the Library for reading?" The newcomer asked.

"Thank you!" Ren said, throwing his hands up.

"Shut up, don't be a nerd." Sun said, elbowing the newcomer in the side.

"Ah-ah! Intellectual!" The newcomer corrected. Ivan already liked the dynamic Sun had with this guy, as it reflected his own relationship with his team.

"Either way; Ruby, Yang, Blake, Ivan, Ice Queen…" Sun began.

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?!" Weiss demanded.

"Hi." The newcomer said. "I'm Neptune." Ivan sighed to himself. " _Another reference to their own history that they don't even know… it's almost sad._ "

"So Neptune, where're you from?" Weiss asked.

"I'm from Haven." He replied. "And I don't think I caught your name… snow angel."

"Oh, come on!" Ivan heard Jaune say, distraught at just how easily Neptune could talk to the heiress.

"Pleasure to meet you." Weiss responded. "I'm Weiss."

"Never took you as the board game type." Sun said, leaning down to talk with Blake.

"Actually… I think I'm gonna get going… I'll see you guys later." Blake said, getting up and walking away.

As she left, Nora sat up, looking around. "Pfft… women." Nora scoffed, drawing a wide smile from Ivan. He had grown to love the redhead's spunky, excessively eccentric personality.

XXXXX

 **January 12, 2681; 1600 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon Academy (Team RWBY Dormitory)**

After a few hours of playing the game, everyone walked back into their dorm room, happily talking. "Ugh… we never should've let him play!" Yang said, angrily.

"You're just mad because the new guy beat you." Ruby taunted.

Weiss noticed that Blake was attempting to sneak out. "Stop!" Weiss said. "Lately you've been antisocial, quiet, and moody."

"Umm… have you met Blake?" Yang asked from her bed.

"Which I get, is kinda your thing." Weiss conceded. "But you've been doing it more and more. You made a promise to me and the rest of this team that you'd let us know if something was wrong. So Blake… what's wrong?"

"I… I just can't get how everyone can be so calm."

"Still worried about Torchwick?" Ruby asked.

"Torchwick, the White Fang, all of it!" Blake exclaimed.

"Ozpin told us all not to worry, between the police and the Huntsmen, I'm sure they can handle it." Yang said.

"Well I'm not!" Blake said. "They don't know the White Fang like I do."

"Let me be the voice of reason." Weiss said. "We're students! We're not ready to handle this kind of situation."

"I agree with Weiss, I don't think we should act right now." Ivan added. "We're not even close to having enough information to be ready."

"And we may never be ready!" Blake exclaimed. "Our enemies aren't just gonna sit around until graduation day. They're out there somewhere planning their next move, and none of us know what it is, but it's coming!"

"Alright…" Ruby began, taking a deep breath. "All those in favor of becoming the youngest Huntsmen in history and singlehandedly bringing down a corrupt organization, say aye!"

"Yes!" Yang exclaimed. "I love it when you're feisty."

"Well… I guess it could be fun." Weiss said.

Ivan shrugged. "Sure, what the hell?"

"None of you said aye…" Ruby said under her breath. "But, let's hatch a plan!"

"Let's do it!" Yang agreed.

"I'll get the cork board and the red string." Ivan joked.

XXXXX

 **January 13, 2681; 1604 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vale (Classroom 201)**

Ivan sat next to the rest of his team in Professor Port's Grimm Anatomy class, half asleep while the mustached professor went off on another tangential story. He saw Jaune attempt to ask Weiss out to the upcoming Festival Dance. "So Weiss, I was thinking… After this, maybe we could go grab a bite to eat? And I've got two tickets to that new Spruce Willis movie if you wanna make the trip to Vale, I hear it's awesome. And then maybe after that we could… study together?" Weiss ignored his questions, until he was finally stopped by the bell. "Weiss, did you hear me?"

 _"_ _Spruce Willis?"_ Ivan thought to himself _"Are you fucking kidding me?"_

Weiss stood up, grabbed her books, and spoke up. "No, No, No, Yes."

Jaune sighed dejectedly, planting his forehead against the desk as the rest of Team RWBY walked by. Yang, being the last one of the group, patted Jaune on the back of his yellow-haired head. "One day." Yang said, continuing to walk.

Team RWBY walked into their dorm and quickly changed out of their school uniforms, and into street clothes. Yang elected to wear a tan shirt and black retention bra along with black pants, Blake wore her normal clothes without the black overshirt, Ruby wore a grey shirt with black overalls, Weiss wore a normal white dress with a white coat over it. Ivan wore a long grey jacket, a black shirt, black slacks, and a pair of rather nice combat boots. He had a set of soft body armor that was issued to ONI Field Agents on underneath the shirt and coat, just in case. "I thought that class would never end." Blake said, saying what everyone was thinking.

"Well everyone, day one of the Investigation begins!" Ruby declared happily, jumping from her bunk onto the floor.

"Glad to see we're taking this seriously." Weiss joked.

"I mean… we've got a basic plan." Ivan said as he slid his concealed handgun into his waistband holster. "That's moderately serious."

"Everyone remember their roles?" Ruby asked.

"You and I will head to the Cross-continental Communication Tower and check the Schnee records for any other Dust robberies of inconsistencies." Weiss explained. "Since I'm in the family, it shouldn't be an issue."

"The White Fang holds regular faction meetings to recruit new members and give out orders." Blake said. "If I can get in, then I can know what they're planning."

"I have an old friend on the shady side of town who typically knows everything going on in Vale." Yang said. "Getting information out of him shouldn't be too hard."

"I stick with Ruby and Weiss, and get in touch with some old friends in Atlas." Ivan said.

"Alright, we'll meet up with Yang at the rendezvous point and go over what we found… let's do it!"

"Alright, let's do it." Sun said, dangling from a lamppost on the side of the dorm building. He hung upside down in front of the window.

Everyone jumped back slightly. "Sun!" Yang declared. "How'd you get up there?"

"Ah, it's easy! I do it all the time." Sun explained

"You do what?" Weiss asked, terrified by the insinuation.

"I climb trees all the time." Sun explained. "So, are we finally getting back at that Torchwick guy?"

"We're going to investigate these robberies… as a team." Blake said.

"Sorry Sun, we don't want to get friends involved if we don't have to." Ivan said.

Sun scoffed. "That's dumb, you should always get friends involved. That's why I brought Neptune." Sun pointed out the window.

All of Team RWBY looked out of the window at the same time, finding Neptune to be standing on the small ledge on the side of the building. "'Sup…" Neptune said.

"How did you get up there?" Yang asked.

"I have my ways." Neptune said, calmly. "But seriously, can I come in? We're really high up right now."

Ivan helped Neptune into the dorm, and Ruby motioned for everyone to form a circle. "Alright, Sun you can go with Blake."

"I can go with Weiss." Neptune said.

Weiss looked rather embarrassed for a moment. "Actually… you should probably go with Yang, since she doesn't have a partner."

Neptune seemed distraught for a moment, but he nodded. "Alright, I'm ready."

"Alright, let's roll out!" Ruby said, happily.

XXXXX

 **January 13, 2681; 1648 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon Academy (CCT Tower)**

Ivan followed behind Ruby and Weiss, the massive CCT coming into view. The central tower was the second-tallest structure in Beacon, only shadowed by Ozpin's office, which sat at the top of the massive spire in the center of the campus. As they arrived, Ivan ran into Velvet, the shy rabbit Faunus that Cardin had mercilessly picked on for almost all of first semester. Over the past two months, Ivan had become rather close with her, which also caused Cardin to keep away. He greatly enjoyed the company of the Faunus girl, and she seemed to enjoy his.

Not long after Velvet had excused herself to go meet up with the rest of Team CFVY, Ruby saw Penny for the first time in three weeks. She followed after Penny as she attempted to leave, leaving Weiss alone with Ivan. Ivan followed Weiss into the CCT, up the elevator, and into the communications room. He waited near the elevator, watching Weiss talk to the receptionist at Schnee Company Headquarters in Atlas.

As Weiss began talking, he keyed into his Neural Implant and established a secure connection with the _Avalon_ , which had just returned from delivering another shipment of research materials to Reach. "Go ahead, SPARTAN." Merlin answered.

Ivan made sure to communicate _only_ through his implant. It was a relatively new technology that had only been issued to select special forces units, ONI, and the SPARTAN-IVs. He was _very_ thankful that he didn't need his armor or a datpad to communicate with his ship. _"Merlin, I need you to give me any information you can find on Roman Torchwick."_ Ivan explained.

Merlin hummed. "Alright, give me a moment." The comms remained silent for a moment, then Merlin's voice returned. "Well, I don't have much for you. All I can find on him would be security footage from various Dust shops he's robbed. Beyond that, the man's a ghost."

 _"_ _Keep digging, let me know what you find."_ Ivan sighed. He was afraid of something like this. If he could manage to hide from a Smart A.I. digging through Remnant's databanks, he could only imagine who might be backing his operations.

"Copy that, SPARTAN." Merlin acknowledged.

As Ivan closed down the secure communication, he found his attention caught by a television broadcast that was playing on a wall-mounted screen to his right. He watched an Atlesian General by the name of Ironwood discuss new Atlesian military units. His attention was really grabbed by the mechanized battlesuit, which was celled a Paladin. It vaguely resembled the design of a Mantis exoskeleton system, but seemed much bulkier and stockier. The autonomous android soldiers also amazed him, but that was relatively old news. After a few minutes of watching the broadcast, he found Weiss to be heading in his direction.

"Any luck?" Ivan asked, looking over from the broadcast.

"Nothing…" Weiss sighed. "All of the robberies seem to be completely random. There's no rhyme or reason to it. What about your friends from Atlas?"

"A whole lot of nothing." Ivan shrugged.

Weiss groaned. "Gah… this is harder than I thought."

"It might help if Torchwick wasn't a ghost…"

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked.

"I've looked through every database I can find, and he doesn't appear in any of them. The only proof that he exists is the news footage and security camera footage." Ivan explained. "He's either _very_ good at covering his tracks, or someone _big_ is backing him."

Their conversation was quickly cut short as their scrolls went off, with Blake and Sun's voices coming over them. "Big freakin' Atlas mech thing, Torchwick has one!" Sun shouted. "Highway one twelve!"

Ivan nodded to Weiss, who ran into the elevator behind him. Ivan suddenly realized that there was _very_ little chance of him damaging the Paladin with just an M6.

"Not gonna lie." Ivan said, waiting as the elevator descended towards the ground floor. "I'm not gonna be able to do much against this thing." He tapped his side, where his magnum was concealed.

Weiss chuckled. "Oh, sure. Leave it all to us."

"Would you prefer I run back to the dorm, grab my rifle, and get there when you guys have already killed the thing?" Ivan asked, smirking.

"I suppose not…" Weiss shrugged. "I guess you can handle the light work." A small smirk crossed her face as the elevator slid open, and she took off running, Ivan managing to keep up with the heiress' Semblance-assisted speed thanks to his augmentations.

Ivan was finally able to let his augmentations come out in their full glory. He was running along the side of the street, managing to keep up with Weiss as she used her glyphs to propel herself forward. He was easily running at fifty kilometers an hour. "Is that your Semblance too?" Weiss asked.

"Maybe." Ivan replied, a small smirk on his face.

"A man of many talents." Weiss responded. "Please do try and make yourself useful with that pistol of yours."

"Bite me, Schnee." Ivan snarked back. "Let me just walk around the campus with six guns strapped to me."

As they were running, they saw Ruby, Yang, Blake, Sun, and Neptune being chased across an empty, under-construction highway overpass. "Hold on." Weiss said, using her glyph semblance to propel her and Ivan upwards. Both landed on their feet and Ivan got a clear look at what he was going up against. The Paladin looked to be more heavily armored than most UNSC tanks, but it was bipedal. "Aim for the legs!" Ivan shouted, sprinting ahead with Weiss.

Ruby and Yang quickly coordinated to cut the mech off, while Blake managed to trip it up with her flashing semblance. As she confused the mech, Ruby and Yang sent a quick series of shots into the knee joint, causing one of the legs to buckle. Neptune and Sun fired their respective weapons into the thin armor on its back, actually managing to pierce the hull a few times. Ivan simply fired his pistol, hoping to at least look like he was contributing to the fight.

Once Ruby and Yang finally managed to take out the leg, Weiss used the light blue dust which was loaded into the revolving cylinder on her rapier to start freezing the mech, weakening the metallic armor. Yang, after taking a few hits, allowed her Semblance to flare up. Her eyes shifted from lilac to a fiery red as she became much stronger, and much angrier. Ivan was surprised to see Yang's Semblance give her a sudden boost to speed and agility as she punched the mech's weakened front with her gauntlet, the explosive round she had loaded causing the already buckled and frozen plating to shatter. As they looked around, they found that the mech was empty. "They're autonomous?" Ivan asked, looking around. Everyone spotted an airship, where Torchwick was standing in the passenger area, waving at them as the aircraft flew off. Ivan drew his sidearm and attempted to put a few rounds downrange at Torchwick, but the slow pistol rounds bounced off his Aura. The Bullhead veered off, its engines tilting back and entering its flight mode. "God, I hate that guy." Ivan said, dropping the now-empty magazine from the grip of his magnum and sliding a new one into place.

Ruby sighed, collapsing Crescent Rose back down into its compact form. "What did we all find out?"

"Schnee Records show that there's definitely a spike in Dust robberies here in Vale, but there's no pattern to them… they're just random." Weiss said.

"You just killed what we found." Sun said. "White Fang somehow managed to get their hands on some new toys."

"Torchwick hired some of my friend's goons, they never came back." Yang said.

"What about you, Ivan?" Ruby asked, looking to the SPARTAN.

Ivan shrugged. "I couldn't find much on Torchwick. Just security footage and newsreels."

Ruby sighed. "Crap…" She muttered.


	6. Chapter 6: Before the Storm

**Chapter 6: Before the Storm**

 **January 26; 2681; 1600 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon Academy (Classroom 203)**

Ivan walked alongside the rest of Team RWBY as they left Goodwitch's class. He had personally watched Pyrrha absolutely crush the entirety of Team CRDL. It wasn't long after that when one of the exchange students from Haven offered to fight Pyrrha, then quickly threw the match when he realized just how truly out of his league he was. Something seemed off about the last match, though. Almost like he was holding back. He would have to be sure to keep an eye on that Mercury kid.

As he stepped into the fresh air of Remnant, he spotted the distant image of the Atlesian Navy in a holding pattern around Beacon. Why the Atlas Headmaster had brought a fleet with him earlier in the month was well and truly beyond the SPARTAN. If he had to make a wager, his army would be providing security for the Vytal Festival in a few months. Naturally, the FOB had started making use of far more extensive security measures. The last thing they needed was for a _military_ to learn about them.

Ivan's attention drifted over to Blake, who had started to lag behind the rest of the group. She was so consumed in her personal notebook that she had fallen out of step with the rest of Team RWBY. It was only Sun's shouting of her name that finally pulled her out of the trance. Ivan only caught the last bit of their conversation, thanks in no small part to the crowd of students that were making their way back to the dorms. "I don't have time for a stupid dance, Sun." Blake said, starting to storm away from the monkey Faunus. "I thought you of all people would understand that."

Ivan exchanged glances with Yang, Weiss, and Ruby. In a moment of silent communication, they all knew what they had to do.

XXXXX

 **January 26, 2681; 1642 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon Academy (Team RWBY Dorm)**

"What?" Blake deadpanned, looking to the four other members of her team incredulously.

"Blake… we want you to go to the dance." Ruby explained again.

"That's ridiculous." Blake shrugged the suggestion off.

"Blake, we're all worried about you." Ivan said from his position on his footlocker. "This investigation has started to take its toll on you."

"You can't sleep, you hardly eat; and to be honest, your grades have been suffering." Weiss added.

"You think I care about _grades_?" Blake asked, gesturing with her arms to make her point known. "People's lives are at stake."

"We know…" Yang placated, taking a hold of Blake's hand and bringing it back down to her lap. "But thanks to you and Sun, we know that they're operating somewhere outside of Southeast Vale."

"And Vale's been the primary target for Dust robberies over the past few months." Ivan added. "Not even mentioning Atlas' missing military tech."

"There's still unanswered questions!" Blake defended.

"Blake, you won't be able to find anything if you can't even keep your eyes open!" Ruby spoke up.

"All we're saying is that there's a time and a place for this kind of dedication, but you shouldn't be killing yourself over it." Ivan added. "The candle that burns twice as bright lasts half as long. Burning twice as bright as all well and good if it's something small, but for this…"

"All we're asking is that you take it easy for _one_ day, Blake." Yang added. "It'll be fun! Weiss and I are planning the whole thing. We can make sure you have the perfect night!"

"And once it's all over, we can get back to our mission." Ivan offered.

"What do you think?" Ruby asked, leaning forward a bit.

Blake seemed thoughtful for a moment before speaking. "I think this is a colossal waste of time." She said, standing up and heading for the door. Before she left, she turned to say something. "I'll be in the library."

As the door clicked shut, Yang let out a heavy sigh. "Great…"

"She has to know that she can't keep going like this." Ivan sighed as well. Try as he might, he couldn't tell if this was still an act or not. Deep down, he couldn't help but fear that he was forming an attachment to these four girls. If there was one thing that didn't mesh well with being a SPARTAN, much less an ONI SPARTAN, it was attachment.

"It's gonna get her killed if she can't rest before our mission on Monday." Yang threw up her hands

Ruby sighed. "We'll talk with her again in the morning…" She looked around to the remaining members of her team. "You guys want to go get something from the cafeteria?"

Weiss shrugged. "Sure."

Yang shook her head. "No thanks, Rubes…"

"I'm good." Ivan shrugged. "Still pretty full from lunch." That wasn't _necessarily_ a lie. His pancreatic implant allowed him to absorb _far_ more nutrients from the food he ate. Theoretically, he could eat once a week and be okay.

"Okay…" Ruby said, standing up and heading for the door with Weiss.

As the door clicked shut behind the two, Ivan set about to removing his uniform's jacket, tossing it onto the bedpost. He heard a light ping from his neural implant, signaling that he had received a message from FLEETCOM. As Yang stepped into the bathroom to shower, he produced his Datapad from one of the drawers in his nightstand, activating it and reading over the message post-haste.

 _Major Chesnokov,_

 _After extensively reviewing your report on the racial unrest on Remnant's surface, FLEETCOM has officially cleared you to begin reconnaissance operations against this "White Fang" group. As the agent presiding over your operation, I am giving you clearance to use whatever methods you deem fit. This is up to and including the use of your armor. If required, and if you truly do believe that those four girls your reports have mentioned can be trusted, you are permitted to enlighten them to the situation at hand._

 _-Agent Thorne, ONI Section II_

XXXXX

 **January 27, 2682; 1637 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon Academy (Classroom 207)**

"… If Roman Torchwick walked through that door right now, what would you do?" Yang asked, her fiery red eyes glaring into Blake's own. She had just shared her story with the Faunus girl, confided it in her in the hopes that she would understand that she can't let this search control her, and she was still so damn stubborn. Yang had tried her best not to be angry with Blake, but it had evidently failed.

"I'd fight him!" Blake defended.

Yang's teeth grinded together at that, and she couldn't help but clench her fists at her side. "You'd lose!" She retorted, pushing Blake back against the teacher's desk.

"I can stop him!" Blake tried to push back, but the blonde didn't budge.

"You can't even stop _me_!" Yang pushed again, putting Blake back against the desk.

As Blake put herself back on her feet, she was about to push back. Her plans changed when she suddenly found herself wrapped in a hug from Yang. She felt her Aura shift away from fiery anger to pleasant warmth, more like she was used to. The hug felt absolutely genuine, and Blake froze up.

"I'm not asking you to stop…" Yang said, squeezing down on Blake. She pulled back, her now-lilac eyes looking into Blake's amber ones. "Just please… get some rest. Not just for you, but for the people you care about."

Blake suddenly realized just how completely, unbelievably, and supremely wrong she was. As much as she hated to admit it, Yang was completely right. She was burning herself out, and it was showing. All of the fatigue from the past few days had caught up with her, and she wanted nothing more than to rest. Something deep down was preventing her from doing it, and she knew what it was.

She knew that she had chosen Yang as a partner for a very good reason, and that reason had just shown itself. Yang cared. Genuinely and unconditionally. She had gone out of her way to get her out of this self-destructive rut she was in. She had put up with Yang calling her ears 'cute', she had put up with her new nickname of 'Blakey', and she had even put up with the blonde's seemingly endless need for physical contact. She had even come to enjoy the frequent hugs and closeness that Yang had been so fond of… all before her obsession had taken root, of course. She wasn't sure what drove her to make her next move, but she did it nonetheless.

"And if you feel like coming out tomorrow, I'll save you a da-" Yang found herself cut off as Blake leaned forward, pressing her lips against Yang's. Yang was stunned, and stood there as such for a moment before she finally realized what was going on, and returned. Her hands took hold of Blake's shoulders, and pulled her just a bit closer.

It was Blake who broke the contact. As much as she wanted it to continue, she needed to breathe, and Yang was not making that easy for her. As her lips pulled away from Yang's, she saw that the blonde's eyes had grown heavy and lidded. It was about now when the realization hit her. She had just _kissed_ her partner. She was a bit taken aback by the toothy grin from Yang.

"So, uhh…" Yang said. "Took my whole 'coming out' line a bit literally, huh?" She asked.

Blake simply stared at her partner for a moment, mouth agape. She broke into a fit of giggles, finding herself needing Yang's shoulder for support. Yang joined in on the laughter too.

XXXXX

 **January 28, 2682; 1700 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon Academy (Ballroom)**

Ivan stepped into the ballroom, clad in a black three-piece suit that he had rented from a shop down in Vale. It felt a bit alien to him, almost like a dress uniform, but he managed. "Glad to see you made it, Ivan." Yang smirked from behind a podium. Apparently, she was serving as a greeter for the first few minutes of the dance. Her hair was in its familiar unruly state, but she was wearing a simple white dress and a pair of heels to match.

"C'mon." Ivan smirked. "If you're putting on the party, how could I miss it? Don't suppose you managed to get Blake to come?"

"Oh… she'll be here." Yang smirked. Ivan recognized that smile. That was a patented 'Yang smirk'. She had something _big_ to tell everyone.

"Well, glad to see that whatever you did wound up working." Ivan returned the smile.

"Oh, _way_ better than I thought it would." Yang responded, earning a cocked eyebrow from Ivan. "You'll see."

"Alright, alright…" Ivan held his hands out. "I'll take your word for it."

Behind him, he heard the distinctive sound of someone stumbling on high heels. Before her could turn to look, he heard Yang squeal. "You look _beautiful!_ " She declared.

With that, Ivan already knew who had just walked in. He turned, and saw Ruby struggling to remain upright on a pair of black heels. She wore a red dress with a mesh neckline, the slightest hint of makeup on her face as well. "Can we have a _serious_ talk about how Weiss fights in these?" Ruby asked, making her way over. Ivan chuckled at that.

"It's not my fault you can't wear heels, Ruby." Weiss' voice rang out over the light murmuring of conversation as she approached. "Glad to see you made it, Ivan."

"I wouldn't miss this for anything." Ivan smiled back. "After all, Yang apparently has something to share with the rest of us."

"Really…?" Weiss looked to her blonde teammate, eyebrow cocked.

"You'll see." Yang smirked. There it was again.

After a short conversation, everyone went their separate ways for a time. Ruby wandered off with Weiss one way, and Ivan headed off towards Ozpin. It seemed the headmaster sensed his approached, and he turned to face the SPARTAN. "Ah, Mister Chesnokov… enjoying the dance?"

"So far." Ivan nodded.

"You're fitting in quite well, by the way." Ozpin smirked, eyes momentarily glancing down to Ivan's side. "Almost impossible to tell you're carrying a weapon."

"Good eye." Ivan complimented.

"I'll admit, I'm curious." Ozpin looked over. He knew that the students were too busy mingling to pay any mind to his conversation. He was safely tucked away against the wall with the SPARTAN. "You mentioned that you were here to reestablish contact with us… how long until more of you come?"

"I'm afraid I don't have an answer for you." Ivan responded. "If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say soon."

Ozpin hummed in understanding. "I certainly hope this won't involve… conquest?"

Ivan chuckled. "I see even Remnant has its fair share of fiction about aliens. It'll be peaceful. You have my word."

"That's certainly good to hear." Ozpin nodded.

"So…" Ivan began, crossing his arms. "You still haven't told me what you know about us."

Ozpin chuckled. "It's pitifully little, sadly. Only references to the name from legend. That, and the occasional archeological find."

"Like?" Ivan asked.

"Pieces of metal with the acronym stamped into it." Ozpin answered. "Beyond that, nothing. It took quite a bit of digging, both figuratively and literally, to learn as much as I have over the years. Much of that old history has been lost."

"And I take it what little is left isn't widely shared?" Ivan asked, already knowing the answer. He just wanted to hear it from Ozpin.

"No…" Ozpin shook his head. "Panic isn't conducive to a long life here on Remnant."

"Fair enough." Ivan nodded. "Speaking of which, missions are on Monday, and I'd like to ask a favor." At the headmaster's cocked eyebrow, he continued. "Are there any missions that would take a team just outside Southeast Vale?"

"There's one, but it's not open to first-year students." Ozpin answered. "I'm sure you and your team want to take it?"

"Yes." Ivan nodded. "Everything we've found points to Torchwick's operation being based somewhere in that sector. If you let Team RWBY take it, I'd like to lead the mission."

"You wish to lead it?" Ozpin asked, confused.

"Having a professional Huntsman attached to Team RWBY would mean I wouldn't be able to make free use of the tools available to me." Ivan answered. "I'd prefer to use my armor for a mission like this."

"Your armor?" Ozpin asked.

"I can trust the girls." Ivan responded with a shrug. "I've received clearance."

Ozpin hummed in thought for a moment before responding. "Very well… I'll make the necessary arrangements."

"Thank you." Ivan nodded. "I'll leave you be." As he turned to leave, he stopped for a moment. "And by the way…" He caught Ozpin's attention one last time. "Ironwood's air patrols are getting a bit close for comfort."

Ozpin chuckled. "I'll see what I can do."

Ivan gave a knowing, polite smile as he turned to leave. He spotted Ruby and Weiss standing on the other side of the room, and decided to join them. As he approached, he shot a glance over to the door. He spotted Blake walk into the ballroom, adorned in a black and violet dress. He allowed himself a smile as he walked over to Ruby and Weiss. "Check it out." He nodded towards the door, seeing Blake smile as she approached Yang.

A smile spread across Ruby's face. "Mission accomplished."

"Well, whatever she did, it worked." Weiss had the faintest hint of a smile on her face as well.

They all watched as Yang called someone over to cover for her at the podium, and pulled Blake towards the dance floor. Ivan, Ruby, and Weiss watched as she and Blake swayed with the light ballroom music, Yang's hand on Blake's hip. As their dance came to a close, the three spectating members of the team were well and truly surprised by what Yang chose to end the dance with. She pulled Blake close, and pressed their lips together.

Ivan stood there for a moment, slack-jawed, before turning to Ruby and Weiss. Both of them had similar looks on their faces. "You-You all saw that too, right?" Ivan asked, leaning over. It looked like there were a few other onlookers as well.

"I… _think_ so." Ruby was the first to answer.

"Huh…" Weiss managed.

All three of them stared as Blake and Yang made their way over, hand-in-hand. "Well, there it is." Yang smirked. Blake had a rosy tint to her cheeks, but she certainly didn't seem to mind the hand-holding.

"Not bad, Blondie." Ivan chuckled. "Not bad."

XXXXX

 **January 27, 2682; 1953 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon Academy (CCT Tower)**

Ivan rushed over, seeing General Ironwood directing a small detachment of his forces. He noted that there was a single Atlesian Soldier lying on the cobblestone path, his neck twisted around in an unnatural position. Ruby was sitting on one of the steps leading up to the tower. Here he was hoping that Jaune in a dress would be the most interesting thing to happen tonight.

He kept his weapon in its holster, and jogged over to check on Ruby. As she explained what happened, he knew very well that there was something going on behind the scenes. There was a plan in motion, and they had been caught in the middle of it.


	7. Chapter 7: Mountain Glenn

**Chapter 7: Mountain Glenn**

 **January 28, 2682; 0900 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon (Headmaster's Office)**

"Why must you turn everything into a blatant display of military bravado!?" Goodtwitch demanded, glaring down General Ironwood from behind her glasses. "Not everything is a contest of measuring d-" She found herself cut off by Ozpin.

"Glynda…" He chastised, turning around in his chair. "I believe we have a way to address this situation in the Southeast _without_ sending in a mass of soldiers."

"You can't possibly be thinking of sending students, Oz." Ironwood sighed. "That'd be suicide."

"Students, led by a soldier." Ozpin corrected. "One far more suited to missions like this."

"And who would that be?" Ironwood asked, seeing Ozpin and Glynda share a knowing glance.

Ozpin produced a scroll, and tapped out a few commands on the interface. A few moments later, the elevator in the back of the office pinged. Ironwood watched an almost unnaturally tall young man step out of the elevator, wearing the normal uniform for Beacon students. Just under his collar, however, seemed to be a black bodysuit of some kind. Ironwood knew that posture and that walk. This young man, despite the Beacon uniform, had indeed received military training. He recognized him, even if just barely. He was at the Tower checking up on his teammate after the breach.

Ozpin addressed the newcomer, locking eyes with him. "I know about the promise I made to you when we first met, but this is a matter best tended to by someone of your talents, Major."

"Major?" Ironwood asked, confused.

"Apologies, James." Ozpin said, glancing over to the General. "Despite our friendship, this was something that I had to keep… under wraps for a time. How familiar are you with the old story of our origins? The ones that tell of Humans on Remnant hailing from another world?"

"Oz, don't be ridiculous." Ironwood chuckled. "I know that there's truth to every legend, but that one's just too far out-there."

"Is it?" Ozpin asked, looking to the Major.

"General Ironwood…" The Major began, locking his hands behind his back. "You hold a position of power here on Remnant, and my superiors have given me clearance to share the same information that I have with Ozpin, with you." At the General's attentive look, the Major continued. "My name is Major Ivan Chesnokov, United Nations Space Command Special Forces Operator. Serial Number: C-124-008-1. I've been sent here by the UNSC Office of Naval Intelligence to better understand the culture and society of our lost colony mission, launched just under three hundred years ago. If you have any questions, I'll do what I can to answer them."

XXXXX

 **January 28, 2682; 1030 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon (Team RWBY Dorm)**

"Where's Ivan?" Ruby asked, looking to the rest of her team. "He was supposed to meet us here after we picked our mission!"

"He said he had to go talk with Ozpin about something." Yang shrugged, kicking her legs back and forth as she waited. "He's still got a half-hour before we leave. He'll be here."

Right on cue, the door clicked open and the SPARTAN in question stepped inside. He was still wearing his Beacon uniform, but something was different. He had black gloves on his hands, which seemed to run under his sleeves as well. "Ivan!" Ruby declared, happily. "What were you talking to Ozpin about?"

"Something pertaining to our mission." Ivan answered, electing to keep a vast majority of the actual talking-points to himself. "I got your message about which mission you all chose, and Ozpin's allowing me to lead it."

"Wait… what?" Weiss asked. "We're supposed to be shadowing a professional Huntsman."

Ivan glanced over to Blake. "Blake… I think it's time."

"Really?!" Blake asked, drawing confused looks from everyone else in the room.

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked, eyeing her teammate.

"It's time for me to share a little secret with all of you…" He said, walking over to his bed and pulling the five metallic containers out from under it.

"You're _finally_ telling us what's in those?" Ruby asked, excitedly.

"That, and then some." Ivan nodded. "Let me preface this by saying that I'm sorry it took me so long to share this with all of you. I just had to be sure that I could trust you to keep this a secret. We've reached a point where I can't exactly afford secrecy anymore."

"What do you mean?" Yang asked, watching Ivan place his gloved hand against the small scanner on one of the boxes. The crate opened with a pneumatic hiss, and four retention locks clicked open. He flipped the lid off, and produced his MJOLNIR GEN-2 Helljumper-pattern helmet, complete with the black visor. Everyone's jaw, with the exception of Blake's, fell open. Blake had a smile on her face.

"Oh my god…" Ruby muttered. "That was _you_?! In Forever Fall?!"

"Yeah…" Ivan nodded, placing the helmet down.

"I thought you were a transfer student from Atlas!" Weiss declared.

"Not exactly." Ivan clarified, opening another crate and producing the chestplate for his armor. It still had his nameplate, rank markings, and SPARTAN designation etched into the black surface.

"Those are military ranks…" Weiss added. "You're a _soldier_?!"

"A Major." Ivan clarified. "And before you ask, no… I am not from Atlas, Vale, Vacuo, or Mistral. I've been cleared by my superior officer to share this with all of you, so long as you keep this _strictly_ between the five of us." Now, even Blake was stunned. All of them nodded fervently, signaling that they could be trusted to keep this quiet.

"Alright…" Ivan continued, sighing. "Again, I'm sorry for lying, even if by omission." He took a deep breath, and began his explanation. "My name is indeed Ivan Chesnokov, but I am a Major in the United Nations Space Command. I'm a Special Forces operative sent to Remnant to gather intelligence on this planet's culture, history, and society to pave the way for re-contact with the Unified Earth Government; or the civilian government that commands the UNSC. This will be happening _very_ soon."

"How soon?" Ruby asked.

"A few days." Ivan answered. "The fleet's already en-route."

"So what do we do?" Blake asked.

"We wait." Ivan answered, producing the rest of his armor from the various crates. "And just operate as normal."

"Why did you keep this secret for so long?" Ruby asked.

"I was bound by operational security measures." Ivan answered. "Going around telling everyone that I'm an alien would've caused a panic, and would have made our job a lot harder."

"So you being here, being our friend, was all just an act?" Yang asked, her tone sounding betrayed.

"No!" Ivan answered a bit too quickly for his liking, but he decided to roll with it. No sense in lying to them any more than he already has. "None of that was an act. I _am_ your friend, and I would happily take a bullet for any of you. That rank plaque on my armor doesn't mean I don't care. I _do_ care… about all of you. I wouldn't be sharing this with you if I didn't."

Try as they might, none of Team RWBY could find anything disingenuous in Ivan's words. If anything, that was probably the most genuine thing he's ever said. Weiss was the first to break the silence. "Just like I said to Blake… I don't care." She said, looking to the SPARTAN. "You've been with us for months, and I don't really care _where_ you come from. All I care about is that I can still call you a friend."

"Same here." Yang nodded. "We've been through too much together to just drop it here."

"Yang and Weiss are right." Blake nodded. "You shared the secret… part of it, at least, with me. You kept your promise, helped me at the Docks, and you've always been there for us… even when we didn't realize it. It'd be wrong to stop trusting you."

Ivan glanced over to Ruby, who simply smiled at him. "You shot an Ursa that was about to attack me. You're cool in my book." She gave a thumbs-up, earning a smile from Ivan.

"Thanks, girls…" Ivan said, surprising even himself with the emotion behind his words. He felt real, genuine sorrow for lying to them. In all of his admittedly short career with ONI, this was a first for him. "Looks like Ozpin was right putting me on your team after all…"

"And we're glad to have you!" Ruby happily declared, darting over and slamming into the SPARTAN, wrapping him in a hug. Ivan quickly found himself in the center of a group hug that even Weiss joined in on. He did his best to return the gesture.

"So…" Yang said, not long after everyone untangled themselves from the embrace. "What's so special about that armor of yours?"

Ivan chuckled. "Quite a bit. You've already seen some of it."

"Yeah, Mister Invisible." Ruby giggled.

"Do all of you guys get that armor?" Blake asked, watching as Ivan started to remove his uniform. Underneath was his black hydrostatic gel layer, the base that all of his armor connected to.

"Nope, just my division." Ivan answered, tossing his uniform onto the bed and setting to work on assembling his armor by hand. It was a grueling process, but there was no other option for him.

"What _is_ your division, exactly?" Weiss asked.

Ivan remained thoughtful for a moment, trying to decide whether or not to tell the truth. He shrugged. "Eh, it's public knowledge anyways." Ivan said, reaching over to his chestplate and tapping the C-124 etched just above the heart. "I'm in the SPARTAN Corps. We're the most effective special forces operatives available to the UNSC."

"What makes you guys so special?" Yang asked.

"A few million Credits' worth of augmentations." Ivan explained. "Along with the armor, which costs about as much as a small starship."

"Augmentations?" Weiss asked, confused.

Ivan turned his head, pushing his hair aside and revealing the metallic surface of his neural implant. "Whoa…" Yang said, surprised. "That looks like the thing above Ironwood's eye."

"It's a SPARTAN-Pattern Neural Lace System." Ivan explained. "One of about two-dozen augmentations I've received."

"You can just _tell_ us all of this now?" Weiss asked, surprised by the transparency.

"All of this is public knowledge in the UEG." Ivan shrugged. "You can just type 'SPARTAN' into a Waypoint search engine and it'll spit all of this information out at you."

"What does that neural thing do?" Ruby asked.

"It's kinda like an IFF, and it lets me interface with my armor and the Tech Suit." He flexed his fingers, showing that his black bodysuit was in fact the Tech Suit. "It shows the aiming reticle for any weapon I pick up, flags me as a friendly on UNSC systems, and lets me interface with computer systems."

"And these other augmentations?" Blake asked, wanting to pry as much information out of Ivan as possible.

Ivan let out a whistle. "Man… there's a lot." He pulled his chestplate over his head, the various moving parts whirring as they connected with the rest. "My bones are almost unbreakable, I can breathe toxic air for up to an hour, I'm strong enough to survive wearing this armor, I have natural night vision, I can run at sixty kilometers an hour without the armor, my heart can beat at around five hundred beats per minute, my body heals faster, and lots of my organs were either enhanced or completely replaced."

"Whoa…" Yang said, stunned. "They just… _do_ that to people where you come from?"

"It was all consensual." Ivan shrugged. "I knew what I was signing up for."

"How many people are like you?" Ruby asked, watching Ivan attach his armored gauntlets to his Tech Suit.

"Afraid that bit's classified." Ivan answered. After finishing with his gauntlets, he reached into one of the larger crates and produced the various parts to his sniper rifle, laying them all out and starting to assemble the rifle. "I can say that normal soldiers are nowhere near as augmented as we are."

Before any more questions could be asked of him, his eyes darted over to Ruby's backpack. He thought he saw the pack move for a moment, and it was confirmed as the fuzzy head of a small corgi popped out of the pack, barking happily. "Uhh…" Ivan said, looking to Ruby. "Where'd that come from?"

"Oh, our dad sent him in the mail." Ruby explained as if it were a simple thing.

"Hold on a second…" Ivan held a hand up. "Your dad sent a dog in the mail?"

"Yeah, he does stuff like that all the time." Yang dismissed the stunned SPARTAN's question.

"Your dad or your dog?" Ivan asked.

"That's what I asked!" Blake declared, earning a laugh from Ivan.

"Man, you guys are weird." He chuckled, sliding a full magazine into his sniper rifle.

"Pot calling the damn kettle." Yang laughed.

"Fair enough." Ivan smirked, attaching the rifle to the magnetic strip on his back. He grabbed his Battle Rifle from beside his bed and did the same. He reached into his nightstand as well, producing his M6 SOCOM and an M7S SMG. He attached the handgun and the SMG to the magnetic strips on his thighs.

"Got enough guns there, Ivan?" Yang asked, watching the SPARTAN strap an entire armory's worth of weapons to his person.

"Not quite." He answered with a smirk, grabbing a few spare magazines from the crates for each of his weapons. He grabbed three 40mm grenades for his underslung launcher, and slotted them into compartments in his combat harness. "There we go." He smirked, grabbing his helmet from the ground and tucking it into the crook of his arm. "Ready to roll?"

"Hell yeah!" Yang happily shouted.

XXXXX

 **January 28, 2682; 1149 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vale (Mountain Glenn)**

"Alright, we've got three days before we're due back at Beacon!" Ivan shouted over the roaring engines of the aircraft they were occupying. "Should be more than enough time to thin out the Grimm here, and get our mission done in the process!"

The relatively short flight from Beacon to Mountain Glenn was coming to an end, as they were a few minutes out from their designated LZ. He had shared what information he could with the rest of Team RWBY regarding the UNSC's impending arrival, and that seemed to have put their minds at ease. Now, instead of being apprehensive at the thought of the UNSC showing up on Remnant, they seemed to be looking forward to it. At the very least, they wouldn't be able to go around telling people that aliens would be showing up in a few days while they were here in Mountain Glenn.

"Well, you're in charge for now." Ruby noted, looking to Ivan. "Where do we start?"

"We'll comb the place, sector by sector, until dusk." Ivan said, watching as the Bullhead began its automated descent. "We'll find a place to hole up for the night, and then rinse and repeat." Seeing that the ground had grown close enough, Ivan waved a hand. "Go, go, go!" He shouted, jumping from the side of the VTOL and landing on the cracked concrete with a heavy thud. The rest of Team RWBY fell to the ground beside him, deploying their weapons as the SPARTAN fell to one knee and scanned their surroundings with his thermal optics, eyes darting down to his motion tracker.

"Anything?" Blake asked, scanning the East.

"Motion tracker's clear." Ivan answered, standing upright and holding his Battle Rifle in a low-ready.

Ivan glanced over to see Ruby letting Zwei, her corgi, loose from her pack. He watched as the small animal started sniffing at the pavement, pointing itself North and beginning to bark. "What is it, Zwei?" Ruby asked. Zwei simply barked in response.

"Hold on…" Ivan said, looking down to his tracker again. He saw a large group of signatures, roughly a hundred meters out, closing in on their position from the North. "We've got a pack coming in, due North." He declared, bringing his rifle to bear.

Weiss smiled, the cylinder of her rapier rotating to load a bundle of Ice Dust. "Now we get to see you in action for real."

"Please…" Ivan began, looking down to the heiress. "Do try to keep up." He cracked a small smirk beneath his helmet, engaged his armor's thrusters, and took off in a full sprint towards the herd of Grimm.

XXXXX

 **January 28, 2682; 1840 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mountain Glenn**

"So, Ivan… what made you decide to be a soldier?" Ruby asked, walking along the path next to the SPARTAN. She had thought he was impressive before, but with this armor… he was on a whole different level. After he explained to them that he didn't even have any training with his Aura, yet managed to keep up with the Huntresses-in-training, she was astounded. She had seen this completely 'normal' man dance between Grimm with ease, rounds rattling off from his rifle. He had even crushed a Beowolf under his feet after slamming into it with the assistance of his armor's integrated thrusters, a shockwave knocking three others back. "I mean… there has to be a reason you guys exist, after all."

"A reason we exist?" Ivan asked, scanning the buildings as he walked past them. Weiss, Blake, and Yang were off securing a camp for the night while he and Ruby secured the perimeter.

"Like… there's gotta be a reason you SPARTANs are around." Ruby explained.

Ivan thought for a moment. There were a myriad of reasons for him joining the UNSC, but he had yet to _truly_ give his reasoning for joining the SPARTAN Program any meaningful thought. He shrugged. "This place pretty much sums it up."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, confused.

"I mean, just look around here." Ivan gestured with his off-hand. "All the destroyed buildings, all of the lives lost… this is why I do it." His hand returned to the grip of his rifle. "One of Humanity's greatest heroes, a SPARTAN, once said that a soldier's duty is to protect Humanity, whatever the cost. That's why Mountain Glenn failed… there was nobody strong enough, or willing enough, to protect it."

"In short, I'm a SPARTAN because there are still people that need protection, and there's nothing else I'd rather be. I would readily and willingly give my life to save another. Every SPARTAN would." Ruby looked up to the SPARTAN, seeing that he had finished. Truth be told, she had _nothing_ that could follow that up. With a heavy sigh, Ivan nodded towards the building the others had gone into. "C'mon, it's getting dark."

Ruby fell in behind the SPARTAN, stepping into the decrepit building and climbing a few flights of stairs. As they reached the fourth floor, they saw that everyone had set up their bedrolls and had started a small fire in the center of the room. "So…" Yang said, looking at Ruby and Ivan as they entered. "Who's taking first watch?"

"You all rest, I'll handle the watch tonight." Ivan answered, locking his Battle Rifle back onto the magnetic strip.

"Are you sure?" Blake asked. "You won't be tired?"

"Augmentations, Blake." Ivan smirked beneath his helmet.

"Oh… yeah." Blake hummed.

"Get some rest, all of you." Ivan nodded. "You did good today. We'll start at 0600 tomorrow."

XXXXX

 **January 29, 2682; 0237 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mountain Glenn**

"Anything you can find on potential locations for their operations?" Ivan asked into his comms.

"Mountain Glenn is a big place, SPARTAN." Merlin answered, the shrug almost audible. "But, if I had to hazard a guess, the tunnels beneath you. The underground transit tunnels are cut off from the rest of Vale's network, so it would be the most advantageous position."

"Thanks, Merlin." Ivan responded. "Any word on the Fleet's arrival?"

"ETA is around 0600 tomorrow." Merlin answered.

"Composition?" Ivan asked, scanning the street below with his thermal optics.

"About what you'd expect from a fleet this far into deep space." Merlin answered. " _In Spirit of Fire_ , two Everest-Classes, three Autumn-Classes, and an escort formation of Destroyers and Frigates."

"Bishop's bringing the Flagship of the fleet?" Ivan asked, confused. The report on the fleet's impending arrival was woefully lacking in the information department. He chalked it up to another case of ONI being secretive.

"Appears so." Merlin answered.

"Alright, thanks buddy." Ivan said, having finished with his questions for the night.

"Always happy to help, SPARTAN." Merlin responded. "You're lucky I don't sleep."

Ivan chuckled, closing down his comms with the _Avalon_. As he scanned the area with his thermals, he saw a small blip on his motion tracker, registering as directly below him. He glanced down, spotting a dog-shaped thermal image, followed closely by what appeared to be a short human girl. He deactivated his thermals, confirming it. Ruby was chasing after Zwei, who had taken off towards the inner city.

The SPARTAN let out a heavy sigh, looking over to the sleeping members of Team RWBY. "Up and at 'em, girls!" He shouted, startling all of them awake.

"Wha-?!" Yang half-shouted, scrambling to her feet. "What is it?" Everyone else started standing upright alongside her.

"Ruby took off with Zwei, looks like he's found something." He motioned out of the window he was sitting in. "I'll see you on the ground." As Ivan dropped out of the window, landing with a thud a moment later, the three others took off after him.

As the three Huntresses hit the ground behind him, Ivan took off in a run in the direction he saw Ruby and Zwei head off in. After a few moments of running, he saw two dots appear on his tracker. Just before rounding the corner, one of them disappeared off of his sensors. _"Shit!"_ He thought to himself, his thrusters boosting him around the corner, rifle raised up.

Instead of finding Ruby lying on the ground, he found Zwei standing on the edge of a large sinkhole, looking into the abyss and barking. He looked up, spotted the SPARTAN, and started barking out for him. "Oh shit…" He muttered, seeing Crescent Rose on the edge of the sinkhole. He turned to face the three others that rounded the corner. "We've got a problem."

"Ruby!" Yang declared, seeing her sister's scythe lying on the ground.

"C'mon!" Ivan beckoned, sprinting towards the hole in the ground. Upon reaching the edge, he bent down to grab Ruby's weapon before jumping in, engaging his thrusters to slow his descent. The rest of Team RWBY was but a few steps behind him.

He landed on a hard concrete surface with a relatively light thud. The fall wasn't too far, a few dozen feet at most. As he looked around, he saw that he was standing atop a building, which seemed to be a part of an underground city of sorts. He spotted Ruby on the ground as well, slowly coming to her senses and attempting to stand back up.

Before he could move to help the young Huntress to her feet, he heard a heavy clang from behind him. In an instant, he wheeled around to face the noise, his suppressed magnum being flung into his waiting hand by the armor's magnetic strips. "Freez-" The two White Fang members didn't have a chance to finish their order before a pair of M6 rounds embedded themselves in their skulls. Yang, Weiss, and Blake all landed alongside the SPARTAN just as the two corpses hit the floor.

"Ruby!" Yang declared, rushing over to her sister and helping her to her feet. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah…" Ruby nodded. "I'm good."

"Thank God…" Yang hugged her sister tightly. "You scared the hell out of me!"

"Wait!" Ruby began looking around. "Where's Zwei?"

"He's right here." Weiss said, setting the corgi down carefully. He gave a happy bark and ran over to Ruby.

"Ohh, Zwei!" Ruby happily bent down to hug the small dog. "You're okay!"

While the Huntresses were busy tending to Ruby, Ivan took the chance to scan the area. Lo and behold, he spotted a tram line down on the bottom level of the large cavern, surrounded by a few squads of White Fang. Through the open door of a freight car, he could see the familiar image of Roman Torchwick shouting out orders to the Faunus. Two of these Faunus seemed to be carrying something onto the car.

Bringing the Battle Rifle's scope up to his visor, he looked through it. The object was vaguely cylindrical, with wires protruding from the ends. There appeared to be a keypad and an LED display on the face of the device. "Everyone, eyes on." Ivan declared, waving a gesture in the train's direction. "White Fang foot mobiles, two dozen." He explained, momentarily forgetting that he was not commanding a team of SPARTANs. "Torchwick's in sight."

"Wait, really?!" Blake asked, darting over.

"Affirmative." Ivan nodded, putting the Battle Rifle back on its magnetic strip. He produced his Sniper Rifle, zeroing in on Torchwick's head. He keyed into the FOB's comms network. "Lieutenant, patch me through to Ozpin."

"Copy that, Major." The Lieutenant acknowledged. After a short time, he heard Ozpin's voice over the comms. Right now, he was rather glad he had given the Lieutenant Ozpin's contact information to deliver the briefing packet all those months ago.

"Ivan, what is it?" Ozpin asked. "Your lieutenant said it was urgent?"

"I have Torchwick in my sights." Ivan answered. "Capture or kill?" All of Team RWBY looked to him in surprise.

"Capture would be preferred." Ozpin answered. "General Ironwood would like him taken in for questioning."

"Understood." Ivan answered, closing the comms. He turned back to Team RWBY. "Alright, you four encircle the train." He began. "Keep your heads down and stay out of sight. Wait for my signal."

"Your signal?" Weiss asked, confused.

"A really big fucking explosion." Ivan answered, activating his active camouflage module. He slung the sniper rifle back over his shoulders, and leapt the fifteen meters between the top of this building and the nearest one. Upon landing, he continued his sprinting and repeated the motion for another three buildings until he was finally close enough to the tracks for his liking. He dropped to one knee, producing his Battle Rifle again. He reached into his combat harness, grabbed a 40mm grenade, and tucked it into the tube of his underslung launcher. He activated his VISR module, keeping an eye on the four Huntresses as they moved to encircle the train, keeping their distance enough to go unnoticed. Once they had all gotten into position, he lifted the Battle Rifle up, switching the reticle over to the grenade launcher's rangefinder.

He let his suit's systems handle the calculations, adjusted his aim accordingly, and let the high-explosive grenade fly with a soft _thump_. The grenade sailed through the air for about a second before impacting directly on the tracks. The explosion snapped the already-weakened and rusted train tracks, throwing dust and shrapnel in all directions. A mere moment after the explosion, Team RWBY sprang into action.

A series of shots from Crescent Rose rang out, each of them dropping a White Fang member. A hail of explosive rounds from Ember Celica flew through the air, tossing the bodies of the enemy around with each successive impact. Blake and Weiss darted out from their cover, engaging the White Fang in close-quarters. Ivan jumped from the edge of the building, using his thrusters to hover in the air for a moment as he rained down bursts of gunfire from his Battle Rifle. As he fell, he locked his armor and thudded against the stone ground, sending cracks webbing their way out from beneath his feet.

It took but a moment for the last of the White Fang to fall, leaving a stunned Torchwick standing on the edge of a train car with five weapons pointed at him from all sides. Ivan saw his hand twitch on the grip of his cane, and he cut him off by putting a burst of fire into the weapon, knocking it out of his hand. "Well…" Torchwick said, his voice rather calm given the situation. " _That's_ new." He said, looking to the hulking mass of power armor that was leveling a rifle against him. Ivan kept his finger on the trigger, even after Torchwick had raised his hands above his head.

"Lieutenant, get me Ozpin again." Ivan said into his comms. After a moment, he heard the connection go through and didn't wait for Ozpin to acknowledge the call. "Ozpin, the target is secure. Tell Ironwood to get an Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit to my current location immediately, along with some shackles."

XXXXX

 **January 29, 2682; 0538 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mountain Glenn**

Ivan watched as Torchwick was led onto an Atlesian Bullhead by a pair of Knights, grumbling about 'watching the hat'. The Atlesian Military had set up a small base in Mountain Glenn, meant to hold back any Grimm that might try to attack. "Nice work, son." Ironwood complimented, making his way over from a group of Atlesian soldiers. "We've cleared out all of the bombs, and secured the caverns. You've done the Kingdom a great service."

"Just doing my job, General." Ivan shrugged, removing his helmet and tucking it under the crook of his arm. "I trust you'll lock his ass up and throw away the key?"

"Your trust is well-placed, Ivan." Ironwood chuckled. The General seemed startled for a moment, then pressed a finger into his ear. "Go ahead?" He asked, listening to the comms unit in his ear. "What? Slow down, soldier… Understood, secure the wounded and pursue."

"What's going on?" Ivan asked, looking to the General. As much as he would have liked for it to be the case, he wasn't keyed into the Atlesian comms network.

"There's another combatant loose in the caverns." The General explained, sighing. "Apparently it's a short woman wielding a parasol?"

"We secured every inch of those caverns and my tracker didn't pick anything up." Ivan defended. "Strange…"

"Indeed, but she'll be in-custody soon enough." Ironwood said, very sure of that fact.

Just as the General finished his sentence, Ivan's own comms unit bleeped from his helmet. He quickly threw it over his head and keyed into it, seeing it was from the _Avalon_. "Go ahead, _Avalon_." He beckoned.

"Major, we've detected five Slipspace ruptures in-system!" The Lieutenant-Commander of the vessel shouted, her voice panicked and frenzied. "LIDAR paints them as one CAS Assault Carrier, two CCS Battlecruisers, and two CPV Destroyers! IFF reads Covenant! They're on a direct vector for Remnant, ETA: twenty minutes!"

Ivan's blood ran cold at that. The Covenant? Here? His training immediately took over, and his demeanor shifted in the blink of an eye. "Go dark, I repeat: go dark!" He ordered. "Pull back to the asteroid belt and await further orders!"

"Copy, Major!" The Commander responded, the line cutting a moment later. Ironwood, Team RWBY, and all of the soldiers looked to him with concern. He had left his vocal systems open.

Without a moment of hesitation, he keyed into FOB Alpha's comms. "Lieutenant, we have hostile fleet assets in-system!" Ivan declared. "Disable all electronic equipment and get the Darter in the air! I want Fireteam Omega and all available Marines in Vale _immediately_!"

"Understood, Major!" The Lieutenant acknowledged, the sounds of frantic movement coming over the communications. "Omega's gearing up now! We have eight Marines en-route. ETA: five minutes!"

"Acknowledged!" Ivan half-shouted into his comms unit. "Go dark!"

As the comms cut, everyone was now looking _very_ concerned. "What's going on?" Ironwood asked, being the first to break the short silence from everyone else in the small encampment.

"General, I don't care who you piss off, but you need to put every single asset you have to combat stations!" Ivan declared, his visor staring down Ironwood. "Get the fleet at Beacon in the air, and start evacuating Vale!"

" _What_ is going on?!" Ironwood asked.

Ivan suddenly remembered that these people had no idea what was coming. Deep down, he was sad that they had to see this. "This planet has twenty minutes before you come under attack by the Covenant. Twenty five if you're lucky! Now, you can either listen to me, or waste more time!" Ivan shouted.

Ironwood's face went pale. "I'll get it done."


	8. Chapter 8: Raging Storm

**Chapter 8: Raging Storm**

 **January 29, 2682; 0553 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vale**

Ivan jumped from the crew compartment of a Bullhead VTOL, landing in the middle of one of Vale's largest boulevards. It was chaos. Huntsmen from all kingdoms were leading groups of civilians into the subway tunnels, old bomb shelters, and the waiting hulls of Atlesian Bullheads. Soldiers from both Vale and Atlas were taking to the streets, attempting to form a cohesive defense with what little time they had left. The Atlesians were working on setting up anti-air emplacements, mortar pits, defensive walls, and MG nests.

Ivan spotted the Darter overhead, ferrying arms and ammunition to the eight Marines and four SPARTANS on the ground. UNSC Weapons Insertion Pods had been dropped from the _Avalon_ before it had retreated to the asteroid belt, and the Marines were arming themselves with ARC-920s, SPNKr Rockets, SRS-99 Sniper Rifles, and M139 Grenade Launchers.

As Team RWBY jumped out of the VTOL behind him, he spotted Fireteam Omega running to his position, all armed to the teeth with the best weaponry they had on-hand. "Major!" Lauren shouted. "Your orders?"

"Each of you will be in command of the defense of a sector of the city!" Ivan ordered, his voice carrying over the sounds of chaos around him. "Lauren, you've got the North." At her nod, and subsequent departure, Ivan turned to Mary. "Mary, you're on the East."

"Copy!" Mary shouted, sprinting off.

"Jacob, West!" The taller SPARTAN didn't offer any acknowledgement beyond sprinting towards the Western sector of Vale. "Team RWBY, you're with me!" Ivan shouted. "We're covering the South."

"Got it!" Ruby's voice was barely audible over the panic in the streets.

Ivan keyed into the comms of the Atlesian Navy and Army assets in Vale, which had been given to him by Ironwood. The General had given him command over the Atlesian forces in this area, due to his knowledge on the enemy. "All Atlesian Fleet assets, this is Major Chesnokov! All airships, pull back to the area outside the city walls immediately!" Fifteen different voices all acknowledged his orders. "All Army assets, continue guiding civilians to safety! Protect them at all costs! I want Knights and Paladins forming the defense of the outer city!" Again, more voices acknowledged his orders. "Your sector commanders are keyed into your comms network. Consider their orders my own!" He closed the comms before the voices responded again.

"Let's move!" Ivan shouted, sprinting off to join in the defense of the Southern Sector.

The group arrived in a plaza in the southern sector, manned mostly by Atlesian Knights with a few Vale soldiers mixed in. There were a few anti-air emplacements that had been set up in the area, manned by Vale soldiers. As the SPARTAN and Huntresses arrived, Ivan saw several bright flashes from the upper atmosphere. Fearing the worst, he looked up, surprised to see a half-dozen detonations against the shields of the Assault Carrier as it neared the atmosphere. Apparently, the Prowler had laid down a small field of HORNET Nuclear Mines. He watched as the Carrier's shields broke against the nuclear onslaught, and shouted out into his comms unit. "All fleet assets, open fire on the Carrier! I don't care if you're out of range, keep its shields down!" He shouted. At his words, the fifteen Atlesian vessels opened fire with their main battery guns: laser cannons in a turret mount. The lasers crossed the distance between the atmosphere and the Carrier relatively quickly, splashing against the Nanolaminate plating of the Carrier.

He immediately keyed into Merlin's comms, secured by a Slipspace encryption system. "Merlin, launch SHIVA nukes, all on the Carrier!"

"Acknowledged, SPARTAN!" Merlin answered. "Nukes away!"

"Shield your eyes!" Ivan shouted out to everyone over a general communication. After a few moments, a dull _boom_ sounded off from the upper atmosphere. Satisfied that the blast had already occurred, Ivan glanced up to see a large chunk torn out of the side of the Assault Carrier. The five SHIVAs had impacted against the rear of the vessel, crippling its engines and sending it on a slow descent towards the middle of the ocean that divided Vale from Vytal. As everyone looked up, a cheer broke out among the defenders.

"We're not done yet!" Ivan shouted, looking to everyone. "Four more ships are in-system!"

"Are they gonna land?" Ruby asked.

"Drop pods first, then Phantoms." Ivan answered. He looked up, spotting the former. "Speak of the devil! Dig in!"

After a few moments of final defensive preparations, Ivan heard the familiar and terrifying thrumming of a Seraph Fighter's engine. Well over six hundred of the strike fighters descended into the atmosphere, firing their repeating plasma cannons. Most of the androids, soldiers, and huntsmen scattered for cover, but a few unlucky ones were charred by the superheated gas. The returning fire from the ground-based anti-air weapons knocked a fair few Seraphs out of the air. The rest began climbing higher into the air. An instant later, dozens of massive drop pods crashed into the tops of buildings, streets, and other locations throughout the city.

Covenant forces of all species piled out of the pods, with Sangheili warriors leading the charge. Ivan instantly opened fire on the hostile aliens, focusing on the Sangheili. One of the Sangheili Zealots ran from its pod and charged at a squad of Atlesian Knights, letting out a deep war cry in the process. The Elite ignited his Energy Sword, hacking through the androids with ease, as they were meant for ranged combat, not melee. The Elite was quickly put down by a massive round from Crescent Rose. "Oh my god!" Yang shouted, seeing a horde of Grunts flood in from an alley.

More and more Covenant forces came from all corners of the plaza, firing plasma weapons wildly. Ivan retained his composure, even as a needle rifle's spiky projectile embedded itself in the skull of an Atlesian soldier. The Atlesian Pulse Rifles were actually quite effective against the personal shields of the Sangheili warriors, which was made even more apparent as an Atlesian Huntsman fired a quick burst through an Elite's head, punching through the shields with relative ease. Ivan pulled a grenade from his combat harness, tossing it down the alleyway crowded with Grunts. The familiar terrified squeal of the Unggoy was quickly silenced by a grenade's detonation.

After what seemed like an eternity of a firefight, Ivan finally realized the actual objective of the suicide drop. He watched as dozens of Unggoy ignited plasma grenades and ran at the various anti-air emplacements in the plaza. Most were stopped before reaching their destination by a few well-placed bursts of gunfire from Ivan, but enough made it to their objective. The AA guns in the plaza all went up in a blinding plasma explosion, the ammunition igniting with the superheated plasma. A few Huntsmen, Knights, and soldiers were knocked back, some killed, by the explosions. The defenders finally began to adapt to the Covenant doctrine, steadily pushing them back. "We need to pull back!" Ivan shouted.

"Why?" One of the Atlesian Sergeants asked from behind a sandbag wall. "We just held them back!"

Suddenly, a few Fuel Rod cannon rounds impacted in the center of the plaza, vaporizing twelve Atlesian Knights. "That's why!" Ivan said, backing into an alleyway. As he and the remainder of the forces in the plaza began pulling back towards the streets, dozens of Phantoms descended from the atmosphere, dropping off even more Covenant Storm forces as they passed. The remaining soldiers, huntsmen, and students retreated into the city as the Covenant managed to secure a landing zone.

Most of the soldiers and Atlesian Knights broke off from Ivan's lead, following their squad leaders instead. A few huntsmen from Beacon, some Atlesian Knights, and Team RWBY remained with him. As he continued through the streets and alleyways, he heard the familiar noise of plasma rifles, repeaters, and pistols being fired from all around the city. As he rounded a corner, he saw a Covenant fireteam standing over a collection of scrapped Atlesian Knights. One of the Elites turned to look at him, surprised to find a SPARTAN. "A Demon!" The Sangheili shouted, priming his plasma repeater.

Ivan raised his Battle Rifle in an instant, firing a few bursts at the Elite. The Elite's shields popped with an arc of energy as the bullets finally wore it down. Ivan's shields flickered out as a final round from the now-dead Sangheili Ultra's plasma repeater slammed against them. He quickly joined the rest of his group behind cover, surprised to find the small remaining squad of Unggoy Grunts holding their ground. Weiss threw a bundle of Blast Dust from the revolving cylinder of her rapier. Four of the six Grunts were tossed aside like rag dolls, the remaining two attempted to run. Blake quickly fired a pair of shots from Gambol Shroud's pistol, ending the small aliens.

Ivan stood back up as his shields recharged, slotting a new magazine into his Battle Rifle. "Ivan!" Ruby asked, standing up from behind a dumpster. "What did that big one mean when he called you a Demon?"

"SPARTANs are called Demons by the Covenant." Ivan responded, helping a Huntsman up. "We're hated by the Elites, but they call us Demons with a… modicum of respect. Now c'mon, we need to keep moving and regroup with the second defensive line."

As Ivan's group continued moving, he could hear the sounds of battle progressively growing louder. As he walked down a large street which was strewn with parked cars, pockmarked by bullets, and scattered with bodies of Covenant, Human, and Faunus alike, he heard the familiar screech of a Banshee diving. "Get down!" Ivan shouted, a bright green flash blinding him. He felt himself tossed back by the impacting Fuel Rod round, skidding across the asphalt for at least ten meters. His armor's gel layer absorbed most of the impact, but his vision was blurred and he felt almost paralyzed by the sudden loss of footing and bearings.

As Ivan's vision slowly cleared, he saw the white blur of Weiss moving towards him and the other downed members of his team. He heard the muffled sound of plasma rifles firing, along with blue blurs whizzing past Weiss. He watched her release a packet of Shock Dust from her rapier, which slammed into the shields of a Sangheili, which managed to punch through the shields and send high amounts of amperage through the Elite's body. Weiss, seeing she was hopelessly outnumbered by at least four Elites and a squad of Jackals, elected to run towards an alley.

Ivan winced as his armor's shields kicked back on, pumped biofoam onto his wounds, and gave him a massive adrenal boost. He quickly pulled himself up and charged at the nearest Elite, grappling the mandibled alien with his hands. He used his element of surprise to quickly snap the Sangheili's neck, ripping the Energy Sword from the Elite's hip. He ignited the energy blade, causing the curved superheated plasma blade to flash into existence. He quickly ran the next Elite through with the blade, ripping it out with a horizontal motion.

The last two Elites were quickly dispatched by Atlesian Knights and the rest of Team RWBY, which was missing its W. "Ivan!" Yang shouted. "You alright?"

Ivan quickly glanced down at his armor, which was singed across the chestplate, had a few marks along the shoulders, and had badly scuffed leg armor. "I'm fine." Ivan said, eyeing his Battle Rifle on the ground. The impacting Fuel Rod from the Banshee heated the rifle up to such a degree that the polymer parts of the receiver were now melted into the concrete of the sidewalk. "But we need to move, Weiss ran off this way." He said, gesturing with the Energy Sword towards the alley. He quickly grabbed one of the Needle Rifles, spare cartridges, and a plasma pistol that an Elite was carrying before he began moving with the rest of his team, searching for the Heiress in the height of a battle.

XXXXX

 **January 29, 2682; 0621 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vale**

Weiss sprinted through alleyways and side streets of Vale City, hoping and praying that she didn't run into any more of these Covenant. She had a certain expectation of what this invasion would look like, but it was completely shattered the second they hit the ground. She never expected anything like this. She never expected this many, with this type of ferocity. Even when their attack was clearly suicidal, they carried it out without question. They dropped into the heart of enemy territory with the sole intent of destroying everything on her planet, and it honestly terrified her.

She quickly stabbed a "Grunt", as Ivan referred to them, through its neck with her rapier, causing some of the methane that it breathed to leak out of its mask with a slight hiss. She knew that running was cowardly, but she had seen a massive eight foot tall alien cut through four of the most advanced military androids on Remnant with ease. She continued through the alleyways, the sound of plasma fire, gunfire, and alien shouting remaining an ominous backdrop to keep her nervous. She maneuvered through the winding side streets of Vale City, keeping as quiet as possible.

She rounded a corner, spotting the worst case scenario that she could've ever not hoped to run into. She saw two Sangheili, one of them in rather large silver armor. One had an Energy Sword, the other had some strange rifle with large canisters for ammunition. The Concussion Rifle-wielding Sangheili craned his elongated neck to look at the Heiress, letting out a low chuckle as he raised his Concussion Rifle. Weiss released a small cloud of Blast Dust, but the Sangheili managed to get two shots off before the explosives detonated on his chest, caving his bones into his chest cavity.

The two shots from the Concussion Rifle caused Weiss's Aura to fail, the high-pitched droning of her Scroll's Aura Monitoring software reminding her of her perilous situation. The second shot, as it didn't have a full-strength Aura to absorb the impact, sent her back a few feet, slamming her into a brick wall.

Before Weiss could get back onto her feet, the Sangheili Field Marshall was striding over to her. She attempted to grab Myrtenaster, but the Elite stomped on the handguard, sliding the rapier away. "Has your kind become so desperate in their defense of this world that they send children against the might of the Covenant?" The Sangheili asked, glaring down to her with his reptilian, purple eyes. "I find the difference in technology on this planet interesting, but it's of no concern to me." The Sangheili said, noticing that Weiss was slowly reaching towards a satchel on her belt. The Elite reached down, grabbing the Heiress by the neck, squeezing just hard enough to make it extremely uncomfortable. Weiss's hands shot up to attempt to lessen the grasp on her neck. The Elite let out a deep laugh. "Just like the rest of your pitiful race, weak and undisciplined." He ignited his Energy Blade, sending a jolt of fear mixed with adrenaline through Weiss. He held it just in front of her eyes, the contained plasma heating up Weiss's face, illuminating her face with an eerie blue glow. Weiss found herself, for the first time in her life, actually _terrified_ of something. "My face will be the last thing your pathetic eyes ever see." The Elite said, rearing back his blade.

Weiss quickly slammed her eyes shut, her mind racing with ways to possibly escape. In an instant, she suddenly felt… defeated and completely helpless. As she heard the thrumming of the plasma blade being pulled back, she heard a deafening _crack_ , followed by the sensation of falling.

Weiss immediately felt herself freeze up once she was on the ground again, the fear still having a lasting, paralyzing effect on her. She had the unshakable desire to curl up into a ball and recede from the entire world. She had looked into the eyes of a creature that actually seemed to enjoy taking another sentient being's life. The alien had laughed in her face when she tried to escape, calling her weak and undisciplined. It took a few moments for her to realize that someone was actually physically touching her.

Weiss immediately jolted, looking around to find who was making contact with her. She immediately noticed the concerned face of her partner, with her scythe-rifle lying on the ground next to her. "Weiss!" Ruby said, having the heiress propped up against her. "Are you alright?"

"R-Ruby?" Weiss asked, still shaking from the fear of having the face of a towering alien mere inches from her own, preparing to end her life.

"Weiss… it's okay." Ruby said, keeping her hands securely placed on Weiss's shoulders. "You're alright."

Weiss noticed that she was actually embracing Ruby, clutching onto the fabric of her partner's dress for dear life. She immediately let go upon realizing it, attempting to compose herself, with little success. She fumbled as she attempted to pick up her blade, barely fitting it back into its sheath. "I-I'm alright." Weiss managed, unconvincingly. Weiss felt a small pang in her chest as Ruby stood up, placing a hand on the heiress's shoulder. She shrugged the comforting gesture off.

After a few moments of awkward silence so loud that it almost drowned out the plasma fire nearby, Ivan, Blake, and Yang rounded the corner into that small side street, the SPARTAN's armor seeming even more scuffed after a close encounter with a Mgalekgolo pair. "Weiss!" Ivan said, lowering his Needle Rifle. His attention was grabbed by the dead Field Marshall on the ground, a massive hole in his head from Crescent Rose. "I'm glad that you're alright, but we need to keep moving. We're almost at the secondary defensive line."

Weiss nodded, steeling herself with some success. She made the mistake of looking at her younger partner, a pang of guilt running through her after she so easily brushed off the caring gesture. She, and the rest of the group, fell in behind Ivan's lead.

After passing through a few more side streets, regrouping with Team CFVY in the process, they came to their destination: the secondary defensive line. Everything inwards from this massive ring around the city had been secured relatively quickly by the military presence within, and this was where they would hold. Hundreds of Atlesian Soldiers and Knights, dozens of Paladins, and an almost innumerable amount of Vale soldiers held the line behind overturned cars, rudimentary barricades, and deployable metallic cover.

As the group sprinted behind cover under the constant stream of incoming plasma and needles, dozens of Phantoms descended upon the city. They had come under fire from the ground-based AA, taking a few of them down, but there were simply too many. They off-loaded hundreds of Covenant into the streets of Vale, bolstering their numbers and their resolve.

As Ivan popped out from behind the overturned truck he was using for cover, he shouted into his comms unit. "Omega, SITREP!" He demanded.

"We're holding here, Major!" Lauren answered. "We've pushed them back to the wall. We're sending civvies into the city with escort!"

"We're under heavy fire!" Mary's voice crackled over the comms. "Hunters at the rear! Someone get a rocket out!"

"We have a Scarab in the West!" Jacob's voice shouted over the comms. "I repeat! Scarab in the west!"

"Shit…" Ivan muttered, spotting one of the ONISEC Marines manning this section of the defensive line popping out with a SPNKr launcher, sending a homing rocket towards an incoming Ghost, the impact sending the vehicle into the air in a ball of flame. He could hear the distinct roar of a Scarab's energy projector from where he stood, coming from his due West. "Ruby!" He called out, ducking under an incoming barrage of needler rounds from a Jackal.

"Yeah?!" Ruby answered, leaning out from behind a barricade to fire a few rounds at an incoming Elite Zealot, sending it to the ground.

"Hold the line here!" He shouted, tossing a plasma grenade up and over his cover. He heard the terrified screeching of a Jackal before the grenade's detonation hissed over the battlefield, vaporizing the creature. "I'm going to assist the forces in the West!"

"Got it!" Ruby acknowledged, scrambling back into cover as a Beam Rifle speared past her, burning a neat hole through the chest of an Atlesian Knight.

XXXXX

 **January 29, 2682; 1701 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vale**

Ivan let out a pained grunt as he landed on the deck of a Scarab walker. As if one wasn't bad enough, another had popped up in the North. Since he was the closest SPARTAN, he had offered to go deal with it. The sun had just set, and the fighting was only getting worse. News had started flooding in from the other kingdoms as well. Atlas seemed to be getting the worst of it, but they were holding for now. Vacuo was suffering the worst in the assault, with casualties already estimated to be well over a million. Mistral's walls had broken, and Grimm were flooding the city along with the Covenant. Thankfully, it seemed that the Grimm were indiscriminate in their hatred for sentient life. They seemed to attack the Covenant just as regularly as the defenders. All in all, the current casualty estimates that he had received from Merlin painted it at just over five million. Far too many.

"Vile Demon!" A Sangheili Major shouted, firing his dual Plasma Rifles in Ivan's direction. Ivan quickly ignited his thrusters, pushing himself behind the support strut for the Scarab's anti-air cannon. Hearing the Elite approaching from the left, he ignited the stolen Energy Sword and lunged around the corner, running the alien through with the blade.

Not wasting time, he rushed down the ramp and into the command center for the massive walker. The Grunts and Elites manning their stations didn't even have time to register his existence before he cut them down, leaving the Scarab completely inert. Not one to waste an asset, he ran over to the console that controlled the anti-air cannon atop the Scarab and racked his brain for the control scheme. He had gone through countless simulations for commandeering a Scarab, and he very quickly remembered the procedure.

His hands danced across the display, and he quickly took control of the cannon. He turned the gun on the Phantoms that were ferrying troops towards the Southern sector of the city, swatting them from the air. A wing of Banshees vectored in towards him, and he brought the cannon around to engage them.

Once he was satisfied that he had created a large enough hole in the Covenant air cover for now, he sprinted over towards the console for the Energy Projector controls, and repeated the procedure. Taking command of the powerful main armament of the Covenant walker, he sent a searing beam of plasma towards a column of Wraiths that were lobbing plasma over the nearby buildings, detonating the Covenant armor almost instantly.

With a heavy sigh, he disabled the Energy Projector and sprinted towards the upper deck of the Scarab. He was _very_ thankful that the Covenant had brought mostly-outdated equipment on their little campaign here. It had become abundantly clear over the past few years that Covenant Storm had become desperate, and their use of Human-Covenant War-era tech certainly supported that.

As he came around to the rear of the Scarab, he pulled a pair of Plasma Grenades from his combat harness, priming them and tossing them into the core of the Scarab. The two grenades stuck to the slithering masses of Lekgolo worms that drove the vehicle, and he quickly broke for the side of the walker.

Sprinting off the edge and igniting his thrusters, he found himself on the rooftop of a nearby jewelry store. He continued running and jumped down to the street behind the shop, hearing the deafening explosion and creaking metal that came with a destroyed Scarab. Surprised to find himself in an alley devoid of Covenant forces, he allowed himself a moment to assess the situation. He quickly found himself regretting that.

On the ground nearby, he found the charred and mangled remains of a family that was attempting to flee from the Covenant attack. What little skin remained was a charcoal black, thin strands of sinew and muscle hanging from the corpses. There was a mother, a father, and three children. Five of many that had been lost in the short eleven hour defense. One of the children, a young boy, was clutched in the arms of his father, who had obviously attempted to shield his child from the invaders. A single lifeless brown eye looked to the SPARTAN, almost pleading for his help. Ivan knew better, but deep down, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was _something_ he could have done to save that boy. All of that talk about protecting people… and he couldn't even protect a single child.

Ivan was only shaken out of his stupor by the frantic mumblings of a Grunt from the other end of the alley. Ivan's head shot up, and he glared at the stocky alien. The small alien noticed him, too, and stopped dead in its tracks. It had seemingly been separated from its leader, and was now trembling in fear. Knowing that his stolen Energy Sword was out of charge, he reached up to his chestplate and produced his combat knife, sprinting towards the small alien as it screeched in fear.

He covered the distance in but a second, grabbing the creature by its methane pack and yanking it around to face him. He brought his knife down through its head once, twice, three times before he gripped its now-slack jaw, snapping its neck upwards. The creature fell to the ground in a pool of neon-blue blood, a faint gurgle escaping its mouth as it let out a final breath.

Ivan let out a heavy sigh, sliding his blade back into its sheath. Ruby's voice rang out in his ear, bringing him back into reality and chasing away the tunnel vision. "Ivan! More of those Hunters are coming our way!"

"En-route." Ivan answered, pulling the Needle Rifle into his hands and breaking out in a sprint back towards the secondary line.

XXXXX

 **January 30, 2682; 0545 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vale**

Ivan stood behind a wall of sandbags, firing his procured Plasma Repeater into the head of an advancing Grunt, igniting the methane in the tank and causing a small detonation all along the Unggoy's back. The second defensive line was holding exceptionally well now, thanks in no small part to the new Atlesian Paladins that were deployed to assist in the defense. The line had held for about an hour and a half since his return from dealing with a Locust with little issue, only taking a few casualties from the occasional Banshee strafing run, which usually ended with a burning Banshee falling from the sky. A few Grimm had also snuck their way into the city amidst the confusion, and actually assisted in the defense, as they attacked the Covenant forces along with the Humans and Faunus.

Ivan knew something had happened with Weiss and the Elite Field Marshall. He didn't bring it up, but he knew something hit Weiss hard. She remained stoic, even for being the Ice Queen. She had even less reaction to things than usual, and that honestly made him worry. Yang and Blake had been integral in defending their current position, since Blake could easily confuse the Covenant forces with her Shadow Semblance, while Yang was just sending explosive shell after explosive shell at the Covenant. Ruby had the ability to put her sniper rifle to good use against the more heavily armored enemies, only really finding trouble hitting the small exposed torso on a Hunter. Weiss on the other hand was faltering slightly. She missed the occasional Blast Dust usage, seemed a bit more sluggish in her movements, and seemed less focused. He had a few theories about what happened in that side street, none of them very pretty. He knew better than most just how brutal the Sangheili were capable of being, he had seen it firsthand. He knew how the average person reacted to facing a veteran Elite, and Weiss was apparently no exception. She was obviously shaken up by the encounter.

As Ivan ducked back into cover after tossing a plasma grenade, satisfied with the sound of at least four Grunts being tossed aside by superheated plasma, he felt the elated feeling rise in his chest as sixteen IFFs appeared on his HUD, filtered in from the Prowler, which was still evading the Covenant Fleet. The neutered Covenant fleet had a bit more to worry about than one Stealth Frigate now, however. On Ivan's HUD, he watched all of the IFF tags appear in all of their glory. First came the flagship of the 2nd Fleet: _In Spirit of Fire_ , an Infinity-Class Warship. After the Infinity, two Valiant Super-Heavy Cruisers slipped in, incredibly close to the Covenant fleet. After the Cruisers came a mix of four frigates and destroyers, mostly of the Strident and Paris Classifications. Much to his surprise, he saw the remaining IFFs belonged to the Swords of Sangheilios. One of them just so happened to be the newest ship in the Swords' fleet: the CSO-Class Supercarrier _Prophet's Bane_ , helmed by the Arbiter.

He watched as the IFF of the CPV Destroyers in the Covenant fleet blinked out of existence. Apparently, the Swords had joined their allies in responding to the Covenant incursion. That was certainly a welcome surprise.

A voice came over Ivan's comms. It was the familiar, deep voice of Admiral Bishop. "People of Remnant, this is Fleet Admiral Joseph Bishop of the UNSC. We are here to assist." Ivan heard the transmission shift, and a booming voice replaced Bishop's "People of Remnant, I am Arbiter Thel'Vadam of the Swords of Sangheilios. We are your allies in this fight. Our forces will be planetside shortly."

Ivan shouted out into the general comms for the Remnant defenders. "All forces, this is Major Chesnokov!" He declared, a smile on his face for the first time in over a day. "Our support has arrived! Check your fire, do not engage the Elites in red armor! They are your allies!"

He fought with a renewed vigor, knowing that support was only minutes away. After a few moments of continued fighting, he heard the distinctive noise of something entering the atmosphere. He looked up, spotting three hundred SOEIV Pods, which slammed into the ground a moment later. Everyone's attention was grabbed as the shaped charges in the black pods exploded, sending the doors skidding across the street. Four SPARTANs jumped from the pods, each of them carrying a different weapon. One of the shorter SPARTANs with a more feminine frame carried a pair of SMGs, a Magnum, and at least a dozen grenades. The tallest of the three carried a SPNKr Rocket Launcher, MA5E Assault Rifle with a grenade launcher, and a small suppressed magnum. The other SPARTAN carried an M45D Tactical Shotgun and an SRS99 Sniper Rifle System. Ivan instantly recognized the stark-white MJOLNIR Gen-2 Power Armor. This was SPARTAN Fireteam Indigo. Their leader leapt from his pod, wielding an ARC-920 Railgun with two SMGs locked to his thighs.

"Chesnokov!" The larger of the SPARTANs shouted, firing his rocket launcher at a Hunter pair. "More support is inbound!" As if on cue, dozens of Pelican Dropships began descending into the atmosphere, dropping off Grizzly tanks, Warthogs, Marines, SPARTAN IVs, and Army personnel. F-41 Broadsword Fighters began descending into the atmosphere as well, engaging the Banshees and Seraphs at MACH 5. Hundreds of other SOEIV pods began screaming in their descent towards the surface of Remnant, each one bearing an ODST. Many of the defenders stood in stupefaction as the black-clad soldiers piled out of their pods, Marines poured out of dropships, and massive tanks were carried by those same ships.

The orbital battle was somewhat visible from the surface of Remnant, with long white streaks slamming into specks of light, which would almost always detonate in a brilliant display of light as the MAC slug slammed against the hull. Ivan turned to Team RWBY, who were watching in amazement as the UNSC forces pushed the Covenant back with relative ease. "The cavalry's here ladies, let's move!" The leader of Fireteam Indigo shouted out over the carnage of battle.

Ivan quickly vaulted over the waist-high sandbag wall, firing his Plasma Repeater as the rest of Fireteam Omega moved up behind him. Team RWBY followed behind, many of them still watching as the Marines and ODSTs moved against the Covenant. As the orbital battle steadily slowed down, eventually ending with a crushing UNSC victory, the larger capital ships descended into the atmosphere and began providing support. As they did, the positively massive CSO Supercarrier entered geosynchronous orbit, very nearly casting the entire city in shadow in the process. It released a veritable armada of Phantom dropships, all painted a bright green, alongside a swarm of drop pods. All of the pods carried a veteran Sangheili warrior, forged in the fire of their fight against the Covenant.

Team RWBY followed behind their SPARTAN companion, who caught an MA5E assault rifle that the female SPARTAN tossed in his direction. Four Pelicans and three Phantoms landed behind the defensive lines, dropping off twenty Marines or Sangheili each in the case of the Phantoms. The Marines and Sangheili quickly moved up to the line, assisting the Remnant forces. The tides of the battle turned in a matter of moments, with the Atlesian androids moving alongside the UNSC/Sangheili forces. Many of the SPARTANs were impressed with the Huntsmen, finding them capable of actually keeping up with the genetically-enhanced super soldiers. Even the Sangheili seemed surprised by their prowess.

The cleanup operation didn't take long. The UNSC and the Swords had the Covenant forces locked on Remnant and dominated the skies. The Grimm actually wound up giving the Marines and Swords more problems than the Covenant, since they were unfamiliar to the newcomers. The SPARTANs on the ground led the campaign, which ended with the Covenant being expelled from Remnant in a matter of hours. The UNSC had won, thanks in no small part to their allies.

XXXXX

 **January 30, 2682; 1900 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon Academy**

Ivan walked through the courtyard at Beacon, still wearing his armor and weapons. Beacon had escaped from the battle relatively unscathed, with only a few minor plasma burns on the walls of the buildings. Near the center of the campus, where the statue of the Human and Faunus Huntsmen stood, there was a small memorial to the fifty eight Huntsmen who had lost their lives in the initial attack by Covenant Storm. Ivan took a deep breath as he walked past, a small part of his mind feeling slightly guilty for their loss, another part somewhat glad that nobody he knew was on that list.

He saw a few Marine Medical Corpsmen walking around, inspecting a few minor flesh wounds brought on by being a bit too close to a striking bolt of plasma. As he walked, he ran into Ozpin, who was standing in a grassy courtyard, seeming to only want to watch the scene before him unfold. "Ah, Mister Chesnokov." Ozpin said, adjusting his spectacles. "Do you have a moment?"

"Of course." Ivan said, nodding.

"I'd like to thank you for what you did here." Ozpin said. "Were it not for the UNSC and your allies coming to our assistance here on Remnant, I have no doubt we wouldn't be here right now."

"Thanks aren't necessary sir." Ivan said. "The UNSC's simply carrying out its enduring mission."

"That mission being?"

"Protect Humanity and Human interests." Ivan said.

"Does that apply to Faunus as well?" Ozpin asked.

"I don't have an answer for that." Ivan said, shrugging. "But since Faunus, as far as I can tell, are genetic cousins to Humans, I doubt they'll be seen as any different by us." He let out a chuckle. "If we can find ourselves allied with the Sangheili, I think the UNSC can look past some Humans with animal features."

Ozpin nodded, taking a sip from his omnipresent coffee mug. "What comes next?"

Ivan shrugged. "I know that Admiral Bishop and the Arbiter are in talks with all four kingdoms right now, but that's all they've told me. But from what I can tell, the UNSC and the Swords will be helping with the reconstruction efforts."

"That's certainly good to hear." Ozpin replied. "But what about you?"

Ivan sighed. "My Fireteam, Omega, is being sent to Auraxis Prime, the Covenant world that this invasion was launched from. They say that the campaign will be short, but they want us to take an entire planet."

Ozpin nodded. "When are you leaving?"

"Three days." Ivan responded.

"Well, I wish you luck." Ozpin said, giving Ivan a small smile. "Just remember, Ivan… you will always have a place here." Ozpin said.

"Thank you sir." Ivan said, returning the smile.

Ozpin nodded, turning back to his coffee. Ivan took his leave and continued walking towards the cliff. As he approached the cliff, he saw Team RWBY sitting on the edge, their feet dangling over. Off in the distance stood Vale City, with _In Spirit of Fire_ and _Prophet's Bane_ hovering overhead, along with a few Atlesian Military airships, UNSC Cruisers, and a veritable fleet of Pelicans. They had all only been back at Beacon for about an hour, so all of Team RWBY had yet to get any rest following the battle. Ivan walked over and sat down next to Ruby, who was the right-most person. Everyone looked to him with a smile.

Weiss seemed less shaken up by what happened to her. He had personally asked for her to receive a full workup by a field medic as the battle was winding down. The Medic had said it was mostly just a mix of adrenaline and fear, but had warned of the possibility of post-traumatic stress disorder as well. Weiss had insisted that she was fine, and she was certainly looking better. "Well…" Ruby said. "We did it."

"We did it!" Yang parroted, happily.

Weiss scoffed. "If we don't get any extra credit for that, I'm going to be really disappointed."

"Weiss…" Blake began. "Aliens literally invaded all of Remnant. I doubt it."

"And we didn't solve everything." Ruby said. "A lot of people were hurt, and we still don't know what's going on."

"Well… not every story has a neat and tidy ending." Weiss added.

"We might not have all of the answers." Ivan said. "But at least Remnant's people are safe. Well… most of them." Ivan sighed. "Fucking ONI…" He muttered.

"What's wrong?" Blake asked, looking over.

"This is all my fault…" Ivan sighed. "I requested reinforcements months ago, and ONI all but told me to go fuck myself." He clenched his fist. "I should've kept at it. Maybe I could have…"

"Ivan… you did all that you could at the time." Yang offered her comforting words, looking over to the SPARTAN. "And you helped us fight off a freakin' _alien invasion_!"

"I guess…" Ivan relented.

"Hey, we did very well today." Weiss offered.

"Yeah!" Ruby said. "And if anyone tries something like this again, we'll be ready."

Yang leaned back, lying down on the grass. "Yay… teamwork, camaraderie, good job, go team…" Yang's voice was clearly exhausted, she eventually sat up again, resting on her elbows and forearms. "So what now?"

"We could always train for the tournament…" Weiss said, realization suddenly dawning on her. "Wait… the Vytal Festival Tournament only has teams of four, and we have five." Everyone turned to look at Ivan, who simply smiled.

"I wouldn't worry about that." Ivan said. "I'm heading off to the Covenant world that this assault was launched from in three days. Not sure how long I'll be gone, but you guys can just fight in the tournament without me."

"Wait, you're leaving?" Ruby asked, sadness in her voice.

"Not for long." Ivan responded. "HIGHCOM wants someone like me to remain on Remnant as a liaison of sorts, so I'll be back once the campaign against the Covenant is over. But while I'm gone, keep me posted on what happens around here. Before I leave, I'll give you guys something you can use to contact me."

Everyone smiled, which was a refreshing change of pace for the past few days. "So… uh…" Yang said after a minute of silence. "Are we just going to ignore the fact that the same aliens that attacked us are now helping us rebuild?"

"Yeah…" Ruby said, looking to Ivan. "What's up with that?"

"Yeah, the Swords are the same _species_ , but they're radically different in their beliefs." Ivan explained. "I'd go so far as to say that they're Humanity's closest allies."

"An astute observation, SPARTAN." A deep, almost thrumming voice called out from behind them. Everyone turned to see a Sangheili in a golden set of runic armor walking towards them. Ivan recognized the alien immediately. It was the Arbiter. Nobody other than Ruby caught it, but Weiss seemed to tense up. Ruby gently placed her hand atop Weiss'.

Much to everyone's surprise, Ivan stood up and clasped a fist over his heart. "Arbiter…" He said, bowing his head forward slightly. None of them knew it, but it was a gesture of immense respect in Sangheili culture.

"A pleasure to see you again, SPARTAN." Thel allowed his mandibles to form the Sangheili equivalent to a welcoming smile as he returned the gesture. "And this must be the team of young ones that was so instrumental in the defense…"

"Indeed." Ivan nodded. "Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang; this is Arbiter Thel'Vadum, Supreme Commander of the Swords of Sangheilios."

"It is an honor to meet all of you, young ones." The Arbiter offered the gesture to the four of them.

"Y-You too, sir." Ruby managed, somewhat intimidated by the nearly eight foot-tall alien.

The Arbiter chuckled, and Weiss' blood ran cold. It was _far_ too similar for her liking. "Do not be afraid." He held his hands out in a gesture of neutrality. "I am merely here to offer my sincerest apologies."

"For?" Weiss asked, her voice tense.

It seemed the Arbiter sensed the tension behind the heiress' words. "For your first meeting with my kind to go as it has." He explained, his tone mournful. "It is regretful that you have undoubtedly developed a bit of a… perception of my people that is not entirely true to us. I, along with my brothers and sisters in the Swords of Sangheilios, wish for nothing but the strongest peace with your people." The Arbiter craned his neck to look to Weiss, doing his best to appear unintimidating. "And… If there is one thing I can say about your kind, it is that you are strong. I have no doubt that you will recover from this atrocity, and my people will be with yours."

"Will you be leaving a detachment of the Swords here, Arbiter?" Ivan asked, looking to the veteran Sangheili.

"Indeed." He nodded. "It would be a dishonor to those who died at the hands of this war if we simply left. My ships will remain here to assist in the reconstruction of this world, as well as its defense. And… should it be allowed, we will hold an embassy here to repair the damage done that goes beyond scarred buildings." The Arbiter chuckled. "But, you do not wish to listen to the ramblings of an old warrior. Even amidst this devastation, time should be spent with friends and family." He clasped a hand over his hearts, bowing his head. "I will leave you now. I am needed on your Admiral's vessel soon."

"An honor, as always, Arbiter." Ivan returned the gesture. He allowed himself an internal smile as the four members of Team RWBY returned the gesture. Weiss even seemed to have eased up after speaking with the Arbiter for a time.

"Good day, young ones." The Arbiter nodded to the Huntresses, turning back towards the landing pads. Sitting on the pad was a Phantom dropship, guarded by a few Swords.

Ivan sighed, sitting back down beside the Huntresses. "Ivan… you've met him before?" Yang asked. "He said that it was a pleasure to see you _again_ , after all."

Ivan nodded. "I've met him a few times in the past. Mostly back on Earth. He regularly comes to Earth, mostly to visit the memorials from the Human-Covenant War."

"Why?" Ruby asked. Having met him, she wasn't exactly _surprised_ that he would do something like that, but she'd still like a concrete answer.

"As he's told me… it's his way of atoning for what he did during the War." Ivan explained. "He was a Fleetmaster, commanded the Fleet of Particular Justice that glassed Reach."

"Glassed?" Weiss asked.

"Glassing completely destroys the surface of a planet… vaporizes the ground and all of the moisture on the surface." Ivan explained. "It happened to dozens of Human colonies during the War."

"Oh my god…" Yang managed. "H-How many?"

"Died?" Ivan asked, earning a nod from Yang. "Twenty three billion."

Everyone's jaw fell slack. That was over seven times the amount of people that currently lived on Remnant. "Oh god…" Blake muttered. "How long ago was this?"

"It ended a hundred and twenty nine years ago." Ivan answered, sighing. "We're still terraforming a lot of those planets, and our population still isn't back to pre-war numbers. But please, god, enough sad shit." Ivan chuckled. "I've had enough to last me a lifetime over the past few hours."

"True enough…" Blake nodded, allowing the group to fall into a comfortable silence.

"Time for bed?" Ruby asked, breaking that silence.

"Oh yes…" Weiss said.

"I'm going to sleep forever." Blake said, standing up along with everyone else. As Ivan followed behind his team, making their way back towards their dormitory, he turned to look at the two behemoth vessels hovering over Vale City, his departure looming over his mind. A very noticeable feeling of sadness came over him for a few moments; he had really come to love this world.


	9. Chapter 9: Return to Remnant

**Chapter 9: Return to Remnant**

 **April 23, 2682; 1236 Hours**

 **UNSC** ** _In Spirit of Fire_** **, S-Deck Simulator (Slipstream Space)**

Ivan dove into cover as a fragmentation grenade detonated where he stood mere moments ago. He looked up over the metal plate that he used for protection, catching a red glimpse pop out of cover and fire a rifle at him. The white streak of a tracer round passed by his head, forcing him back into cover. He looked to his right, watching his team's sniper put a round into the metal chestplate of their enemy. It seemed that Mary's light injuries she suffered during the Auraxis Campaign hadn't affected her aim at all. She was still a deadly shot.

His team's CQB specialist, Lauren, vaulted over her cover and activated her active camouflage. She snuck up behind one of their red-armored enemies and pumped a full magazine from her SMG into his back. She was, unfortunately, struck in the leg by a sniper round and fell to the ground. The enemy sniper made the mistake of firing again, giving the Heavy Weapons Specialist of Omega Team, Jacob, an opening. Jacob jammed down on the trigger of his ARC-920 Railgun, sending the slug into the enemy sniper's chest with a loud _CLANG_. The sniper flew back at least thirty feet, slamming into the metal starship wall.

Ivan rolled out of cover, firing three quick bursts from his Battle Rifle, suppressing the final combatant. He began advancing with each burst, eventually coming right on top of the enemy position. He rounded the corner, fully expecting what was to come. The enemy attempted to throw a rather vicious right hook at Ivan's helmet, but he ducked under the closed fist, sending his own augmented punch into the assailant's side, causing him to double over. He brought his knee up to the helmeted head, breaking the shields and knocking him out. Ivan spent a moment catching his breath.

"Victory!" The artificial intelligence of _In Spirit of Fire_ announced over the intercom. "Omega Squad keeps their winning streak going strong. Shutting down War Games Training Simulation Delta-21." As the AI spoke, the internals of the Covenant warship that they had been fighting in mere moments before shimmered out of existence, replaced by the orange-white internals of the holographic projection combat simulator.

"Whoo!" Lauren celebrated, slotting a new magazine into her SMG as she shimmered back into view. "Nice work everyone." She helped the SPARTAN she had put a full magazine of sim-munition into up onto his feet, giving him a pat on the shoulder plate.

Ivan bent down to help the fireteam leader of the other SPARTAN IV team, Epsilon. "Nice work, guys." Ivan said, heaving the SPARTAN onto his feet.

"You didn't do so bad yourself, Colonel." The Epsilon squad leader said, giving Ivan a pat on the back-plate. "Promotion was well-earned."

Ivan nodded to his team and motioned for them to leave the projection room and make room for the next training sim. "Damn, Mary." Lauren said, placing her SMG onto her hip-mounted magnetic retention strip. "Good shooting back there."

"I try." Mary shrugged, her southwestern accent coming out clearly through her suit's vocal systems. "Wasn't expecting Josh to try his luck like that."

The SPARTANs made their way into the armory, placing their weapons back onto their respective racks. Lauren rushed over to the machine that would remove her MJOLNIR armor while the rest of the team re-organized their weapons and tallied up their spent ammunition. After keeping the quartermaster happy, Ivan stepped into the MJOLNIR removal apparatus, which began moving its mechanical arms around and detaching the armored plates. "So Chesnokov…" Jacob began. "Did you ever figure out what your Semblance thing is?"

"No idea." Ivan said, stepping out of the machine. "Apparently it can take some time to manifest, according to what I've heard."

"Did the Spooks ever figure out how this Aura thing works?" Lauren asked, grabbing her Dress Blues from a locker in the wall.

"They think it's got somethin' to do with spending enough time around that Dust Crystal." Mary said. "I'm honestly surprised that ONI hasn't ordered all UNSC military personnel to stay on Remnant for six months. It'd definitely cut down on the cost of shielding for the Marines and Army."

"It takes years of training to use it effectively." Ivan said. "I doubt ONI would be willing to stick the average Army grunt in a specialized training facility for four years. SPARTANs I can see, but I doubt ONI, let alone the Senate, would _ever_ clear something that expensive. They're already sticking some Special Forces on Remnant for training, namely in fighting Grimm."

Ivan reached into his locker, grabbing his Dress Blues. The name was mostly for tradition's sake, as SPARTAN Dress Uniforms were jet black with gray accents, came with a white cap, had gold buttons, and had a white undershirt. "You would know, Mister 'I get a cushy job on Remnant being a student.'" Lauren joked. "We actually have to live on base."

"Official title is Liaison." Ivan reminded. "ONI wants me as a middleman between the UNSC and the Huntsmen of Remnant. Mostly to oversee the training of the new SPARTAN IV recruits at Beacon. Now if you're all done being jealous, I'm going to change. We'll be over Remnant in twenty minutes."

Ivan stepped out of the Armory, his Dress Uniform draped over his forearm. He made his way through the winding S-Deck, or SPARTAN Deck, eventually coming to a door with "Omega" etched into the metal plate. He stepped inside, their barracks seeming a bit more like a bare-bones hotel room rather than a soldier's quarters. He stepped into the restroom, changing out of his Tech Suit and into his uniform. He ensured that all of the buttons were straight, his cap on straight, and the uniform was clean and pressed to perfection, lest he want a lecture from Bishop or some stuck-up Fleet Officer. He stepped out of the bathroom, feeling awkward in the cleanly pressed fabric uniform and dress shoes.

He looked around his little area of the room, grinning slightly as he looked at the small picture of that seemed like it was taken an eternity ago. It was the five members of Team RWBY, gathered together at the Beacon Dance. 'Good to be back _._ ' Ivan thought to himself. He grabbed his deactivated Scroll, sliding it into his coat pocket along with his datapad and credit chit.

He felt the ship lurch slightly as it left the void of Slipspace, followed by the AI's voice over the intercom. "We have arrived in the Remnant System, departing Pelicans to Remnant's surface will be leaving from Hangars 12 through 19 in ten minutes." Ivan quickly left the room, reminded of his schedule. He stepped into the elevator, pressing a combination of buttons that would send him to Hangar 12. Following the short ride, he was able to step into the massive hangar.

The hangar was a bit more equivalent to a shipyard, with the pair of Strident-Class Frigates resting in magnetic clamps on the ceiling, which stretched well over 300 meters tall. He spotted a set of ten Pelicans, all of which were warming up their engines and preparing to depart. The pilot of one of the Pelicans waved him over. As Ivan approached, the pilot gave him a crisp salute, which Ivan dismissed. "Colonel Chesnokov, I've been ordered to take you wherever you want to go on Remnant."

"Really?" Ivan asked, surprised. "What's the occasion?"

"Bishop wants you to meet up with your old team, apparently." The pilot said. "Comms chatter says they're fighting in the Tournament soon. I could take you there if you want."

"Alright then." Ivan nodded.

"Perfect, feel free to have a seat in the co-pilot's seat." The pilot said, stepping into the Pelican.

Ivan followed close behind, taking a seat next to the Pilot. The Pelican's engines ignited once the board lit up green, allowing the Pelican to leave through the hangar's energy shield. The orbit of Remnant had changed drastically in the three months that Ivan had been away. The defensive fleet was almost as large as an Inner Colony's thanks to the presence of a small fleet of Swords vessels. The orbit was even sporting seven Orbital Super MAC stations on this side of the planet alone. There appeared to be the beginnings of an Orbital Tether in construction near the Equatorial Region of Vale.

As the Pelican descended towards the continent containing Vale and Vacuo, Vale City eventually came into view. A massive floating teardrop-shaped stadium levitated over the city, antigrav generators along the bottom of the cone. The stadium was surrounded by Atlesian airships, fighters, and even a few UNSC frigates.

Ivan let out an appreciative whistle as the stadium came into view. "There she is." The pilot said. "That's the Vytal Festival Arena that everyone's been talking about."

"It certainly is impressive." Ivan said. After a short time, the Pelican set down on one of the landing pads with a slight lurch. "Thank you, Flight Lieutenant."

"Sure thing, Colonel." The Pilot said. "Good luck, sir."

Ivan stood up, walking out of the back of the large dropship. He adjusted his uniform as he stepped towards the admissions kiosk. "Can I help you?" The Faunus behind the counter asked, looking up.

"Yeah, I'm here to meet with Team RWBY." Ivan said. "Name's Ivan Chesnokov."

"Oh, you're the SPARTAN?" The Faunus asked. "Well, welcome to the Arena. I think Team RWBY's match is wrapping up in a few minutes, so you should be able to catch the last few minutes."

"Thanks." Ivan said, stepping through the rotating entry gate. He made his way up the short ramp, coming into full view of the arena, which was honestly rather breathtaking. There were easily over fifty thousand people in the stands, which overlooked the central battleground. From where Ivan stood, he could even make out a few Sangheili in the stands. The battleground was divided into two biomes, one a dense forest of glacier and ice, the other a volcanic sort of wasteland. He saw two teams duking it out in the Arena.

He watched from the railing as Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang all performed the dance of combat with another team of Huntsmen in training. Team RWBY appeared to be winning by a landslide. Weiss had quickly come to Ruby's assistance as a staff-wielding Huntsman attempted to sneak up on Team RWBY's leader, kicking him almost halfway across the biome. Blake cleanly clotheslined another Huntress with Gambol Shroud's connecting fiber, knocking her out of the arena.

The battle carried on for a few more minutes, but the other team made one fatal mistake: bunching together. Weiss created a sort of ice ramp with a small bundle of Frost Dust and shouted out to Yang. Blake quickly tossed Yang the pistol section of Gambol Shroud, allowing her to combine both of their momentum as Blake jumped onto the edge of Crescent Rose, using the recoil from the massive bullet to propel both her and Yang forward. Blake tossed the Blonde brawler, who had an entire belt of explosive shells loaded into Ember Celica. She punched the first of the other team's remaining members, knocking him into the other two, and knocking all three out of the arena, winning the match by knockout. The entire stadium erupted into cheers at the final display of combat prowess. Team RWBY was mid-celebration in the Arena as well.

Ivan smiled to himself as he made his way back down, through the combatant locker rooms. He eventually found the one with RWBY shining on the holographic name plate and stepped inside. He began reading through his Scroll, which had finally reconnected with the Remnant CCT Network, while he waited.

After a few minutes of waiting, the jovial Team RWBY stepped inside, surprised to find a UNSC Officer standing in their locker room with his back turned to them. "Umm… excuse me?" Ruby asked. "What's the UNSC doing in here?"

Ivan turned around, a wide smile on his face. "Just here to congratulate you on kicking some major ass in that first round."

Everyone on Team RWBY stood slack-jawed for a moment, seeing their missing SPARTAN. "Ivan!" Yang said, running over and embracing the SPARTAN in a strong bear hug.

Ivan grunted slightly as Ruby joined in the hug. "Good… to see you guys too." Ivan managed, Yang finally letting go after a few moments.

"What are you doing back?" Blake asked. "How was your mission?"

Ivan shrugged. "Went fairly well, Auraxis Prime is now under temporary UNSC occupation and the operation was declared a resounding success."

"And uhh… what's with the new symbol on your shoulder?" Weiss asked, pointing to Ivan's Colonel rank pins.

"Oh, I was promoted to Colonel after the operation." Ivan explained.

"Oh… congratulations." Weiss nodded.

"Now, I figured that I'd take you all to get something to eat; my treat." Ivan said. Ivan, and everyone in the room suddenly heard Blake's stomach growl quite violently. "Yeah… we should probably get some food."

"Good idea." Blake agreed, blushing slightly.

"There's airships that are going back to the fairgrounds on campus." Ruby said. "There's plenty to eat there."

Ivan nodded. "Sounds good."

As they walked towards the airship departures, Ivan listened to Ruby pitch ideas for who would fight in the doubles round. It eventually came down to a vote. Weiss and Yang were chosen to represent Team RWBY in the doubles match, while Ivan, Blake, and Ruby would watch from the stands.

The group eventually boarded an airship, taking a seat at one of the aisles of seats. "So Ivan…" Yang asked. "What happened out there?"

"During the battles?" Ivan asked, everyone affirming with a nod. "Well… The UNSC launched a pretty big invasion. Upwards of two million Marines, three hundred SPARTANs, and two full fleets of warships. Storm had the planet locked down pretty tight, but we had some help from the Swords."

"They were there too?" Ruby asked.

"Yep." Ivan answered. "The Arbiter led the Sangheili forces on Auraxis. We held onto a beachhead for around two weeks before we started advancing, hard. We took most of the planet within two months, but they held the line rather well at their planetary capital. I actually lost my right eye in the fighting there when a Brute got a bit too close with his Spiker's blade."

"But… you still have both eyes." Blake said, pointing out the obvious fact.

" _In Spirit of Fire_ has some of the most advanced flash-cloning technology in the entire Navy. They just grew me a new eye from non-assigned Stem Cells, healed the scar with some surgery, and it's like nothing ever happened." Ivan explained, shrugging. "I could've opted for the metal cybernetic eye, but I prefer flash-cloned stuff I guess."

"You can just grow new body parts?" Weiss asked.

"Within reason." Ivan answered. "Getting a body part completely severed is different than having it melted off by plasma. In the former situation, most of the nerve endings are still in place, so flash-cloning is an option. If plasma burned out my eye, I'd be forced to take the cybernetic one, since plasma does massive damage to the optical nerve, rendering it useless." Weiss nodded in understanding. "Did anything happen here on Remnant while I was away?"

"Not much…" Ruby shrugged. "They had to push the Tournament back by a few months because… you know, alien invasion"

"Eh, fair enough" Ivan shrugged, glancing out of the window. The city's reparations had come along quite nicely. From where he sat, it looked like all of the rubble had been cleared and there was only a few small areas of the city that had yet to be fully repaired.

"Rubes and I went back home to Patch, too." Yang added.

"And Yang took Blake along to meet dad." Ruby cast a glance over to the quiet Faunus, who still had a look of indifference on her face.

"Hope that went well?" Ivan asked, earning a nod from Yang.

"Yep, dad loves my little Blakey." Yang grinned, wrapping her partner in a one-armed hug.

"I feel like your dad likes everyone." Blake shrugged. "I didn't really do anything special."

"Yeah…" Yang nodded. "That's why he _really_ liked you."

"I assume the locals have been getting along with the Swords?" Ivan asked, the slightest hint of worry in his voice. "I mean, not exactly expecting a welcoming parade after what happened, but I hope people aren't doing stupid shit whenever they see a Swords warrior. That's not exactly the smartest thing to do if you enjoy having your arms attached to your body."

That earned a laugh from everyone. "Most people tend to avoid them, but it's been peaceful." Blake answered with a shrug. "They're _really_ cordial to everyone."

"Yeah, it's like they don't know what contractions are…" Weiss added.

"Eh, that's part of their culture." Ivan explained. "It's something they started doing after the Human-Covenant War. After the war, a lot of people in the UEG thought they were just mindless beasts. Their grammar is one of the many ways they had to help to get rid of that image. It's just kinda stuck around."

"Oh…" Blake had heard something similar from a Marine while they were out to dinner one night, but he didn't do a particularly good job of explaining _why_ the Sangheili talked and acted as they did. "They're especially friendly to the Faunus, too." She added. "Even after the White Fang attacked one of their peacekeeping teams after you left."

The airship set down on one of the many landing pads of Beacon academy, allowing the passengers to disembark. "Oh, man…" Ivan whistled, standing up and walking towards the exit. "The White Fang just opened up one hell of a can of worms with that one. The Swords know very well about the Faunus here on Remnant, but now they're gonna be out for White Fang blood."

"Yeah…" Yang nodded. "There's rumors that they've been helping the UNSC root them out of Vale lately, but nothing exactly concrete."

"Welcome to the wonderful world of Naval Intelligence." Ivan chuckled. "Get used to not knowing a whole lot about what the UNSC's doing down here."

As Ivan stepped off the airship, he took in the bustling environment of Beacon with a sense of nostalgia. He saw all of the students in their informal clothes, as it was Sunday afternoon, walking around campus. There was a large fairground in the northern grasslands of the campus, with students and professors alike enjoying the attractions. "Ugh…" Ruby said. "I'm so starving… let's go get food."

As they all started walking towards a stand surrounded by stools on all sides, a voice called out to them from behind. "It might be a bit hard to get food without this." Everyone turned around. There stood a woman with bright mint-green hair, light brown skin, and red eyes. She wore an outfit rather similar to Blake's, but hers was green and white as opposed to black and white. She was holding out a red wallet with at least six hundred Lien in it. Ruby noticed the wallet, went wide-eyed, and started feeling around in her pockets. The girl laughed. "Good to see ya Ruby."

Ruby laughed, walking over and taking the wallet. "Thanks Emerald, girl pockets are the worst, I swear."

"What's up, Em?" Yang asked, walking over.

"Just got back from the stadium, watching your guys' amazing fight. You guys were awesome." Emerald said. For some reason, something about this girl rubbed Ivan the wrong way. She seemed almost _too_ nice. He had seen her a few times at Beacon before his departure on _In Spirit of Fire_ , but he never had the chance to interact with her until now.

"I heard your team progressed too." Blake said.

"I feel like we never see your other teammates." Weiss added.

"Why don't you all come get something to eat with us?" Ivan asked.

"Uh…" Emerald began, looking the tall SPARTAN up and down. "I don't think I've met you before."

"Colonel Ivan Chesnokov, 1st Company of the UNSC SPARTAN Corps." Ivan answered, holding out his hand, which she shook rather firmly.

"Oh, you were at Beacon!" The girl responded, smiling. "I didn't recognize you in that uniform, but you've become something of a legend at Beacon nowadays. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too." Ivan said. "And my offer still stands, you and your team are welcome to join is for something to eat."

"Oh…" Emerald said, surprised. "I… I don't think that's a good idea. They're all… _really_ socially awkward."

"Ouch…" Yang said. "That's rough."

"So… did you guys decide who's fighting in the doubles round?" Emerald asked.

"As leader, I had to think about this for a good while." Ruby said, proudly.

"We put it to a vote." Weiss said.

"Well I made the decision that we should put it to a vote." Ruby declared.

"Ivan had the idea." Weiss interrupted again.

Ruby sighed. "We voted Weiss and Yang."

"And I'm happy to represent Team RWBY." Weiss said with a nod.

"And we're gonna kick some ass!" Yang said, happily.

Emerald gave a slight chuckle, which unnerved Ivan for some strange reason. "Well, if Mercury and I see you guys down the line, don't think we'll go easy on 'ya."

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Yang said, smiling slyly.

Emerald smiled. "Alright well, we're going to catch a few more fights. See you guys later. And it was nice meeting you, Ivan."

Ivan gave her a curt nod as she turned to walk away, waving quickly to the rest of Team RWBY before disappearing towards the airship docks with a silver-haired boy that Ivan recognized as Mercury. Team RWBY began walking towards the small food cart, which was manned by an older man of Asiatic descent.

As the five sat down, the older man came out from behind the counter with a notepad in hand. "I'll have a bowl of the regular, please." Yang said. The man reached behind the stand and instantly produced a rather large bowl of noodles, sliding it over to Yang, who smiled.

"Ooh…" Ruby said, looking at her sister's choice. "I'll take the same." The man, once again, produced the noodles instantly from behind the counter.

"Is there anything with low salt?" Weiss asked. The man nodded, producing another bowl at a slightly slower speed, sliding it over to Weiss.

Blake simply nodded to the man, who returned the nod. He quickly ducked behind the counter for a few minutes, the sounds of sizzling stoves and clattering cookware sounding off. He produced a bowl of noodles with cooked fish expertly woven into the dish. Blake seemed to forgo all normal behavior and start staring at the food, mouth slightly agape. Ivan simply smiled as he saw Blake's bow twitch slightly. "I'll have the same as her." Ivan said, pointing to Yang. Once again, the man instantly produced the food and slid it over to Ivan.

Before Ivan could get his scroll out to pay, Weiss produced a small plastic credit card with the Schnee Dust logo on the front, which the older food cart operator took and swiped across a magnetic strip reader. "Aww Weiss, what's the occasion?" Yang asked.

"Consider it thanks for sending me to the doubles round." Weiss said, surprised to find her card handed back to her. She looked over to the screen, "DECLINED" blinking across the screen.

"What?" Weiss asked, amazed. "How could my card be declined?" She sank down in her seat slightly as Blake began to sneakily pull the bowl towards herself, hoping the owner didn't notice. "I was barely into my monthly allowance." Weiss whispered to herself.

Ivan produced his Scroll, handing it over to the operator, who placed it against the screen. The transaction was accepted and Blake let out a pent-up breath of relief, happy she could still eat her favorite food.

Weiss noticed the transaction taking place on the activated screen of Ivan's scroll, surprised to see that he had upwards of two million Lien in his account. "How do you have so much money?" Weiss asked, amazed.

"Hoo boy…" Ivan chuckled, earning a questioning look from everyone. "You see, most people here have to work to get that kinda Lien." A small smirk broke out across his face. "That is… unless you have an Eighth Generation Smart A.I."

"The UNSC didn't give you funding?" Blake asked, her mouth still somewhat full of fish and noodles.

"I don't know, but I doubt that you guys accepted UNSC Credits when I first got here." Ivan said, slotting the Scroll back into his pocket.

"Fair point." Weiss said, turning to her food.

"Hey there, friends!" Ivan heard someone call out. He looked over and saw Team JNPR walking in their direction. Pyrrha was wearing her normal combat attire, as JNPR had a match coming up in just under an hour. She noticed a tall man wearing UNSC Officer's attire, her expression quickly turning to surprise. "Ivan!" She said, embracing him in a friendly manner. "It's great to see you again!"

"Good to see you all, too." Ivan said, smiling. Nora quickly ran over, giving Ivan a huge bear hug.

"Ivan!" Nora exclaimed happily. "Did you kill more aliens while you were gone?"

"Nora…" Ren said, shaking his head slightly.

Ivan chuckled. "Something like that. You guys wanna join us? We just started eating."

"Sure!" Pyrrha said, sitting down among the right-most set of stools. Jaune sat next to her, Nora sat next to Jaune, and Ren sat on the end. The food cart operator quickly took everyone's orders, returning with the food almost instantly as usual. As Ivan expected, he was bombarded with questions and queries from everyone at the stand.

As Ivan finally had a few moments without questions when everyone was finishing up, he remembered something. A devilish grin crossed his lips as he swiveled around in his seat to look to his right, looking at Jaune. "So Jaune…" He began, getting the socially awkward blonde's attention. "How've you and Pyrrha been since the dance?" Pyrrha gave a small smile at the memory of her leader in a white dress and sneakers. "So are you and Pyrrha… you know… a thing?"

Jaune almost instantly sat up as straight as a board, blushing slightly as he tried to stammer out a response. Pyrrha laughed at Jaune's response. "Yes, Jaune and I are trying out a relationship. We've only been together a few weeks, though. Officially, that is."

"Good for you guys." Ivan said, giving Jaune a nod. "I always figured you two would be a good couple."

"W-what do you mean?" Jaune asked.

"Think about it, Jaune!" Yang said from her end of the counter. "You and Pyrrha trained together, you always hung out, you spent the entire dance together, and she was always trying to get your attention."

"Even when you were going for Weiss." Ivan pointed out, causing the heiress to shake her head in disbelief. "All in all, you guys are honestly perfect for each other."

"What about you, Ivan?" Yang asked. "Do you have anyone waiting for you on Earth or another colony?"

Ivan shook his head. "Can't say that I do. Never actually dated anyone before, not even in high school. I enlisted at sixteen, became a SPARTAN at seventeen. Now I'm twenty and I've been to pretty much every corner of Human space. Settling down and finding someone was never really an option."

"Aww…" Yang said. "You should totally try asking someone out! There's bound to be someone that you like around here."

Ivan laughed. "I don't think so. Even if I did like anyone around here in that way, I'm not too keen on testing the UNSC's fraternization regulations, even if I am technically not active duty right now."

"Technically?" Weiss asked.

"My standing orders are to act as a liaison between the UNSC and Beacon." Ivan explained. "Basically, the UNSC wants to start training SPARTAN IVs here at Beacon, and they want someone to test the waters for them. I'm kinda ONI's lab rat right now, in a way. Once I graduate after fourth year, if they can get permission and if I perform well enough, the UNSC might start training SPARTANs here at Beacon."

"Oh, neat!" Ruby said. "So your job is to be a student at Beacon?"

"Pretty much." Ivan responded. "Pretty good deal, since my duty contract with the UNSC is up when I graduate, so I can retire after I finish at Beacon and do some tests for ONI."

"Are you going to?" Blake asked.

"Haven't decided yet." Ivan shrugged. "Still got three years to plan that."

After a few more moments of eating and casual conversation, everyone looked completely full and rather lethargic. Jaune especially looked as if he ate a bit too much. Pyrrha looked down at her Scroll, surprised at the time. "Oh gosh, we need to get ready! Our fight's in ten minutes."

Team JNPR quickly gathered their things and began preparing to make a mad dash for the airship docks. "Good luck out there, guys!" Ruby shouted, waving them off. "We should go watch!"

"I'm in!" Yang said, standing upright and brushing herself off.

Ivan, Blake, and Weiss stood up and followed towards the docks, preparing to watch JNPR's first match.

XXXXX

 **April 23, 2682; 1347 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vale (Vytal Festival Arena)**

Ivan applauded as Nora quite literally knocked the entire enemy team out of the ring with a single hit from her hammer-grenade launcher, Magnhild. Ivan watched as all four members of the other team flew out of the Arena, slamming into the energy shields that served as barriers between the stands and arena. JNPR was busy celebrating their victory. Ruby and Yang cheered on their compatriots as they stepped out of the Arena. Ivan settled back in to begin watching Sun and Neptune's team.

The fight that Sun and Neptune's team had was rather entertaining and very close. Ivan found, in all of irony's glory, that Neptune was deathly afraid of water. This became evident when Sun was trapped on the oceanic side of the arena, fending off two enemy huntsmen while attempting to goad Neptune into assisting him.

The fight ended in Sun and Neptune securing a win for their team, which was met with a massive applause from the audience. They had effectively put on the best show of the day, since the match was so close. Ivan gave an applause, surprised that they had managed to cinch such a close match that well.

As the match came to a close, everyone in the stadium began to stand up and prepare to leave, as the final match of the day had come to an end. Ivan gathered his things and followed behind his team, planning to meet up with JNPR before catching an airship back to Beacon.

The ride back was rather uneventful, with congratulations being spread all around. When they landed, JNPR excused themselves to go sleep off the fatigue from their fight, leaving the fairly rested Team RWBY standing in the courtyard of Beacon Academy. Blake and Yang excused themselves to head back to their room, looking to get some rest. As Ruby, Ivan, and Weiss stood talking, Weiss looked up, her eyes going wide with some unintelligible emotion. Ivan looked up as well, spotting an Atlesian airship coming in to dock with the Airship landing pad. It carried long banners of the Atlas flag. "Oh my gosh…" Weiss said, amazed. "She's here."

"Who?" Ruby asked, looking over to Weiss.

"My sister." Weiss answered.

After a few minutes of landing preparations, the airship eventually came to rest on the landing pad. The ramp descended from the back of the aircraft, and six Atlesian Knights stepped out, escorting a very tall woman with white hair, icy blue eyes, and incredibly pale skin who wore a uniform of some kind, as it bore some resemblance to General Ironwood's uniform. "Winter!" Weiss said, running over to the older woman.

"Hello, Weiss." Winter said, formally and with an air of authority about her. "How have you been?"

"Terrific!" Weiss said as Ruby and Ivan walked over. "I'm ranked top in my combat class, my grades are doing spectacularly, and-"

Winter playfully swatted her sister's head. "I didn't ask how your grades and rankings were, I asked how you were. Are these your friends?"

"Oh!" Weiss said, smiling. "Winter, this is my partner and team leader, Ruby Rose." Ruby waved to Winter, who merely smiled and returned the gesture. "And this is Ivan Chesnokov."

"A pleasure." Ivan said with a nod.

"That uniform…" Winter said, looking Ivan up and down. "You are with the UNSC, correct?"

"That'd be correct." Ivan answered. "Colonel Ivan Chesnokov, SPARTAN Corps, Remnant Detachment, you?"

"Atlesian Military Specialist under General Ironwood." Winter said, extending her hand, which Ivan shook. "It's an honor to meet a SPARTAN outside of the armor, I've heard that it's rare."

"Somewhat." Ivan responded, nonchalantly.

"Are you here for the conference?" Winter asked.

"I'm not aware of any conference." Ivan responded. "I'm technically a student here at Beacon."

"Really?" Winter asked.

"I'm ONI's pet project for the next three years." Ivan responded. "They're looking to train SPARTANs like this, so they're testing the waters with me."

"Should be interesting." Winter said, nodding.

Ruby looked behind Winter, spotting someone familiar to her. "Uncle Qrow!" Ruby said, running past Weiss and Ivan, embracing a rather tall man with grey hair and a slight stubble. He carried a short scythe at his hip and wore a grey cloth shirt, black vest and slacks, and combat boots. "Did you miss me?" Ruby asked.

"Nah." Qrow joked, hugging his niece. "Good to see you, kid." Qrow walked over to where Winter, Weiss, and Ivan stood. He seemed surprised to see Winter there. "Well I'll be damned. It's the Ice Queen." Qrow joked.

"Hey!" Winter and Weiss exclaimed simultaneously, glancing at each other with cocked eyebrows in response.

As Qrow spoke, Ivan couldn't tell if he smelled like good bourbon or bad vodka. He could practically hear every breathalyzer within six miles going off like an air raid siren. "And this must be the SPARTAN that saved Remnant." Qrow said, giving Ivan a nod. "Nice to meet you, son."

"Pleasure's all mine." Ivan responded, smiling.

"Just what are you doing here, Qrow?" Winter asked, irritated.

"Visiting my old friend Ozpin and my niece." Qrow responded. "Not sure what the Atlesian military is doing here, I thought you guys were busy occupying Mantle for some reason or another. I guess you need to bring your bravado everywhere you go. Helps you Atlas Specialists feel special, huh?" Qrow mocked.

"It's in the title." Winter said, crossing her arms.

After a rather tense moment of silence, Ozpin was kind enough to break the both metaphorical and physical ice as he walked up. "If the two of you are going to fight, at least do it in the colosseum so the students can watch with popcorn." Ozpin joked. "The last time the two of you fought I had to replace all of the cobblestone from here to Beacon Tower."

The two huffed, Winter looking visibly angry while Qrow had a smug look on his face. Ozpin turned to the formally-dressed SPARTAN. "Mister Chesnokov, welcome back to Remnant. Will you be attending Beacon again?"

"That's the plan as it stands right now." Ivan responded. "If you'll take me, that is."

"I meant what I said, Mister Chesnokov." Ozpin said. "You'll always have a place here. I kept your team's dormitory relatively the same, but I had the bunk beds be made a bit less… precarious."

"Bunk beds?" Winter asked.

"Ruby's idea." Weiss said. "I always wanted bunk beds anyway." Winter gave her sister a knowing smile.

"Now…" Ozpin began. "The two of you need to come with me." Ozpin gestured to Qrow and Winter. "It's good to have you back, Mister Chesnokov." With that, Ozpin, Qrow, and Winter left and began walking towards Beacon Tower.

After another rather short awkward silence, Ivan spoke up. "Well, I'm gonna go unpack my stuff."

"I'll come with you." Ruby said. "I'm really tired."

"No arguments from me." Weiss said, walking with Ruby and the SPARTAN.

Ivan walked through the campus of Beacon, a few of the older students recognizing him; a few even greeted him as he walked by. He stepped into his dorm room with Weiss and Ruby behind him. He noticed that the bunk beds were no longer held together by ropes and balanced on old textbooks, but were actual bunk beds. Blake and Yang were sitting on their respective beds and waved to him as he entered. He gave them a smile as he tossed his belongings into the old footlocker. He stepped into the bathroom, quickly changing out of his dress blues in favor of a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He neatly folded the uniform up and placed it on a hanger in the closet.

As Ivan sat down on the edge of his bed, he noticed that Blake had removed her bow. This was the first time that he had ever seen her Faunus features up close. She had a small pair of feline ears coming out of the top of her head, which twitched in response to sudden noises. "So Ivan?" Yang began, catching the SPARTAN's attention. "Anything happening out there?" Yang pointed with an outstretched thumb towards the bright sun, which was making its slow descent towards the horizon.

Ivan shrugged. "Normal everyday life out there right now. Covenant Storm's been kicked out of this sector, Sangheili and the UEG are closer than ever, and one of the last colonies has been re-terraformed and re-colonized. So all in all… things are perfect up there. The whole galaxy's in a state of peace."

"That's good to hear." Yang responded.

"When's the next round of the tournament?" Ivan asked.

"This upcoming Saturday." Blake responded. "So we've got a week of classes between now and our doubles match."

Ivan nodded, yawning and cracking his back. "Oh God…" Ivan said, his spine cracking rather loudly. "War Games today was a bad idea."

"War Games?" Weiss asked.

"Combat simulations for SPARTANs." Ivan explained. "It's a way for us to keep ourselves sharp."

"How often do you do them?" Weiss asked.

"When we're bored on a long jump." Ivan explained.

"You shoot at each other when you're bored?" Blake asked, cocking an eyebrow at Ivan.

"Pretty much." Ivan said.

Ivan continued catching up with Team RWBY well into the night. It wasn't until around 11:30 that they all realized just how long they'd been awake. Everyone quickly turned in, their extreme exertion pushing them to sleep faster than normal.


	10. Chapter 10: SPARTAN Relations

**Chapter 10: Spartan Relations**

 **April 24, 2682; 1313 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon (Combat Training Arena)**

Ivan lazily leaned against his clenched hand, struggling to stay awake as Goodwitch continued her lecture on proper combat form when using ranged weapons. Somehow, his armored gauntlet digging into his cheek was preferable to listening to a lecture. He wore his full suit of MJOLNIR Gen-2 armor entirely because Goodwitch decided to make the day after the first round of the Vytal Festival a class dedicated almost completely to combat sparring. She only gave this relatively short lecture because a first year student in the previous class period had no idea how to hold a rifle. His attention was pulled to the center of the arena as Goodwitch called his name. "Mister Chesnokov, since it's your first day back on Remnant, why don't you spar today?"

"Of course." Ivan said, sitting up straight again.

"Excellent, let's see who you'll be going up against." Goodwitch said, swiping across her Scroll a few times.

"I'll go!" Someone said from the stands. Ivan turned to look, and realized that it was Emerald's friend Mercury.

"Mister Black… very well." Goodwitch said. "Take your positions in the Arena."

Ivan nodded, grabbing his rifle as he made his way down the short flight of steps. The rifle he carried was a Battle Rifle, with a few of his own personal touches to make it more of a Huntsman's weapon. Instead of a simple underslung grenade launcher, he had elected to requisition an underslung shotgun. Much like a standard underslung mount, this was always on standby and ready for use. The 8-gauge firing mechanism was actually built directly into the rifle's frame, with the internal magazine holding six rounds. Most of the 9.5x40mm bullets across his combat harness were also Dust-tipped, allowing him a wide variety of rounds for use. He had yet to name the weapon, so he just referred to it as a Battle Rifle for simplicity's sake.

He stood across from Mercury after descending onto the concrete floor of the sparring arena and pulled his helmet over his head. He loaded a magazine of Lightning Dust Rounds into the bullpup-style magazine well of his rifle, racking the bolt back. The blue energy shield above his head shimmered into existence, a way to prevent any stray rounds from bouncing out of the arena. He held his rifle in a low-ready position and centered himself, waiting for Mercury to make the first move.

Mercury sent out a quick kick with his right leg, sending a small explosive charge towards the SPARTAN. The SPARTAN's enhanced reflexes and built-in thruster pack allowed him to dodge the attack with ease, but the kicked-up smoke gave Mercury the cover he needed to advance. Mercury sent out a quick flurry of kicks, most of them dodged by the SPARTAN's lightning-quick augmented reflexes. Mercury's metal-reinforced boots connected with the side of Ivan's helmet, knocking him back a bit.

Ivan quickly sent a signal to his neural implant, igniting his thrusters and pushing him into the air. After landing a few feet further from Mercury, he brought the rifle up to block the next kick from the brawler, with a measure of success. Mercury attempted to aim lower in response, but seemed to be attempting to goad Ivan into something. His attacks were just hostile and offensive enough to provoke a defense, but not enough to secure a victory. Ivan dismissed the thought as an 8-gauge buckshot round slammed against Mercury's Aura, dropping it significantly and pushing him back. Mercury quickly righted himself, rushing at the SPARTAN again and forcing him onto the defensive.

Ivan had finally had enough. He sent a kick into Mercury's chest, forcing him back a few feet with the assistance of his armor's Force Multiplication Circuits. Mercury tried to advance again with another kick, but found his leg caught by the SPARTAN's iron grip. Ivan quickly jerked his arm to the right, sending Mercury toppling over himself. The gray-haired teenager attempted to kick out from under the SPARTAN, but was met with a Titanium-plated resistance as Ivan brought his fist down into Mercury's chest. He had to keep his honed skills in check, unless he wanted to seriously wound or kill Mercury.

Mercury didn't have a chance to escape the SPARTAN's onslaught as he sent another buckshot round into his chest at point-blank range, dropping his Aura down to five percent and sounding the buzzer. He took a few steps back from Mercury, slotting two new shells into his rifle. "Damn, Ivan…" Mercury said, pulling himself to his feet with a heavy grunt. "Not bad…"

"Mister Black, perhaps you should be a bit surer of the fights you pick." Goodwitch said, lowering the shield. "You were in _very_ real danger there." Mercury simply shrugged in response and climbed the stairs, the short tone of the intercom signaling the end of class.

Ivan calmly gathered up his rifle. He powered the weapon down as he slung it across his back, locking it in place with a click. He looked up towards the stands as he climbed the short flight of stairs. He saw Yang and Blake gathering their belongings and heading out the right-most exit, probably going to the Library to study for Oobleck's exam about the Huntsmen Academies. He also saw Weiss and Ruby headed towards the cafeteria, presumably to get lunch during their hour-long break. What he saw last unnerved him slightly.

Ivan saw a rather tall woman with jet-black hair with bright, almost glowing auburn eyes turn to look at him. She had her hair in such a way that it covered her right eye almost completely. She gave him a rather… unnerving smile and followed behind Mercury and Emerald. Ivan knew her only as the leader of Emerald and Mercury's team. He had never heard her name, let alone met her, but something about her seemed off. He made a mental note as he walked out of the arena.

XXXXX

 **April 29, 2682; 1200 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vale (Beacon Academy)**

Ivan grabbed his Datapad from the desk adjacent to his bed. His team was preparing to make their way to the Vytal Festival's first round of Doubles Matches, where Yang and Weiss would fight for their team to progress to the Finals. Everyone in the room, including Ivan, was in the process of getting ready. His beeping Datapad had grabbed his attention, causing him to reflexively activate it and check the screen.

 _Colonel Chesnokov,_

 _Report to Firebase India at 1500 Hours. HIGHCOM deems this mission as an Alpha-level classified operation. You will be briefed upon arrival._

 _-Automated message sent under orders of Admiral Joseph A. Bishop._

Ivan deactivated his Datapad, placing it back on the table as he moved towards his end of the room, opening his footlocker and producing his black Hydrostatic Gel Layered bodysuit. "Ivan, what's going on?" Ruby asked, seeing the SPARTAN grabbing his armor's first layer.

"Sorry girls." Ivan began, turning to face Team RWBY. "I'm not coming with you to the tournament today. Admiral's orders."

"Are you leaving again?" Yang asked, looking somewhat concerned.

"I don't know." Ivan responded. "I need to be on-base in three hours. You all should get going."

Ivan left the dorm a few minutes before Team RWBY did, all of them wishing him luck. Ivan wore his standard MJOLNIR Gen-2 armor with his rank, name, and team assignment on his chest. He carried a Battle Rifle his shoulder and a Magnum at his hip. After a short ride on a Pelican that had been dispatched from Firebase India for him, he found himself in the middle of the UNSC's primary operations control facility for all of Remnant: Firebase India.

As Ivan stepped onto one of the Firebase's many landing pads, which was near the center of a rather large plaza that the UNSC had been cleared to use by the Vale Governing Council, the bored-looking Marine guarding the ramp glanced at his rank and name, giving him a crisp salute as he approached. "Colonel!" The Marine said, standing at rigid attention.

Chesnokov quickly waved the Marine off, handing him the small identification slate that he carried with him. The Marine ran it through a small reader on his wrist. The Marine handed the small metallic slate back, allowing Ivan to slot it back into his armor's compartments. "You're cleared sir." The Marine said, gesturing towards the base's central command building. "Your Team is waiting for you in the Command Information Center."

"Thank you, Corporal." Chesnokov said, stepping past the Marine and into the open courtyard of the Firebase. Firebase India was relatively similar to an old UNSC Deployable Firebase that was generally carried by Phoenix-Class Assault Ships. It had multiple barracks buildings capable of housing the stationed Marines, multiple Armor Depots and Motor Pools, a half-dozen Airpads, Armories, dozens of defensive gun towers with railguns, SAM Pods, and 20mm Autocannons, all surrounding a central command building that had a ramp leading underground near the front.

As Ivan walked through the base, he noticed that there were at least 200 Marines running PT around the base. Much to his pleasant surprise, he found there to be a few Faunus milling about the base, dressed in UNSC BDUs of their respective branch. He even saw a Faunus ODST standing with her team.

Ivan quickly made his way down the ramp, heading towards the Central Command Room. A few lower officers gave him a quick salute as he passed before returning to their duties. He stepped into the main room, finding Admiral Bishop standing over a holographic projection table with the three other members of Fireteam Omega standing around the table as well. He stepped over, snapping into a crisp salute. "Admiral Bishop…" Ivan said, his boots clicking together at the heel.

"At ease, SPARTAN." Bishop ordered, motioning with his hand. Bishop straightened himself out, pressing a few buttons on the table, bringing up a holographic projection of the Vale Megapolis. "A few hours ago, we were informed of a White Fang facility in the Industrial Sector of Vale City. This facility is apparently responsible for concealing and collecting arms, armor, vehicles, et cetera, for the White Fang's operations here in Vale. HIGHCOM has deemed this organization great enough of a threat to send SPARTANs."

"Sir?" Ivan asks, looking at the highlighted location on the projection.

"Go ahead, SPARTAN." Bishop says, facing the Colonel.

"Why send us? Why not inform the Vale Police or Atlas's military?" Ivan asked.

Bishop sighed. "HIGHCOM thinks that these White Fang are up to something. Crime has completely _stopped_ ever since Torchwick got taken in. It didn't dip, it didn't gradually decrease, it completely halted. HIGHCOM wants to figure out why."

Ivan raised an eyebrow. "What could the White Fang be planning?"

"We're not sure." Bishop responded, glancing to the SPARTANs around the table. "That's why we've kept this on the down-low for the time being. I need you all to breach that location, gather any intelligence you can, and capture any possible HVTs _only_ if you're given the opportunity. This'll be a night-op, so stick to M7S SMGs, M6 SOCOMs, and other suppressed weapons. This is an operation within the walls of Vale, and I don't want the people here thinking that the UNSC's going to start firefights with every gang in the kingdom. This is strictly a smash-and-grab mission, no theatrics and no bullshit. I want this done quietly and quickly."

"Aye sir!" The SPARTANs echoed, saluting quickly.

"Excellent. The operation starts at dusk tonight, report to Pelican Landing Pad Twelve at 1800 Hours."

XXXXX

 **April 29, 2682; 1812 Hours**

 **Remnant, Northwest Vale (Industrial Sector)**

Ivan sat in the back of a Pelican dropship, checking his M7S SMG one last time. He usually didn't carry such a small weapon, but the suppressor was mandatory for the mission, and this smaller PDW with 6.5mm Caseless ammunition was more-than-effective enough to deal with unarmored targets like the average White Fang fighter. Lauren carried an M45D Tactical Combat Shotgun with a Salvo-8 Suppressor on the end. Mary carried an MA5E Assault Rifle with a suppressor, holographic sight, Caseless ammunition conversion receiver, and smoke grenade launcher. Jacob elected to carry an assortment of non-lethal grenades, and two M7S SMGs.

The Pelican itself was modified with a Stealth Drive, similar in design to the one that the _Avalon_ 's old Darter carried. It completely masked the Pelican visually by refracting light around it, similar to an Active Camouflage module. The engines of the Pelican were also suited for stealth. Most Pelicans had a standard jet-propulsion tilt-engine system. This one had a smaller, yet equally powerful propulsion system that utilized focused plasma emissions, much like UNSC missiles. The engines were cooled by constant jets of liquid nitrogen, reducing their heat emissions to almost nil in comparison to the older models.

As the Pelican drifted over their designated drop position, which was a mere two hundred feet from their target warehouse, the rear bay door opened, allowing the SPARTANs to make their exit. All four members of Omega team activated their armor's Active Camouflage, jumping from the rear of the dropship. As they fell, they ignited their armor's small maneuvering thrusters, slowing their fall enough and softening their landing. The SPARTANs began making their way towards their target, remaining in the shadows of the back alley that they landed in.

As their target came into view, Ivan looked around. He spotted his team's green outlines on his HUD. He activated his helmet's VISR mode, scanning around the area. He spotted a single heat signature coming from a fire escape on the side of the warehouse. It was shaped vaguely like a human, but had a few pointed signatures coming from its head. He could see the distinct outline of a rifle native to Remnant in its hands. He raised his SMG, sending a short burst at the signature up on the fire escape. The figure fell to the metallic floor with a light thud, the only sound emitted by the SMG being the soft rattling of the weapon's action. Ivan made a few quick motions with his right hand, signaling his team to move forward. He motioned for Mary and Jacob to circle around to the other side of the building as he advanced.

He and Lauren stacked up on the metal door on the right side of the building, waiting for Jacob and Mary's "Ready" ping. After a few seconds, a small ping sounded over their closed-circuit communicators, signaling that the second team was ready. Ivan sent the confirmation ping, awaiting the next step in their plan. After a few more moments, all of the building's power shut down in an instant, as Mary had disabled the fuse box. The electric lock on the door powered down, allowing Ivan to slowly push the door open and peer in with his VISR activated. Three signatures appeared, all of them slowly moving around. He quickly pulled the pin on a flashbang grenade and rolled it through the door, waiting for the pop.

A bright orange flash went off from behind the door, prompting Ivan to throw the door open, funneling in behind his shotgun-wielding partner. As they funneled in, Ivan saw three Faunus covering their eyes, having ripped their Grimm masks from their faces. Lauren quickly worked the pump action on her shotgun, putting two slugs into the chest of a rifle-wielding White Fang fighter. Ivan fired a short, controlled burst from his SMG, felling the other two in quick succession. Ivan's VISR marked the three Faunus as dead as they fell, allowing him to move forward with his partner, who was slotting two more 8-gauge slugs into her shotgun's tube.

Ivan moved through the pitch-black structure, his armor's night vision allowing him near-perfect vision. As he advanced, he heard the quiet bark of suppressed gunfire, followed by the familiar _thumps_ of bodies hitting concrete floor. As they walked, a burst of gunfire came upon him and Lauren, forcing them into cover behind a collection of metallic crates. He looked up, spotting two pairs of White Fang riflemen on scaffolding near the center of the warehouse, along with three more that were on the ground level and advancing towards him quickly. He drew his M6 SOCOM, firing a trio of rounds towards the scaffolding, satisfied when he heard a pained yelp and the sound of a body crumpling to the floor. The gunfire intensified around him, forcing him back into cover as the normal Pulse Rifles on Remnant were easily powerful enough to be on-par with UNSC weapons, if not slightly more powerful.

Lauren popped out of cover, firing two slugs towards the Faunus on the ground. One of the slugs missed, but the other slammed into the White Fang's shoulder, sending him sprawling out across the floor. She ducked back into cover, pumped her shotgun, and blind-fired a slug in the direction of the first Faunus, her round barely missing. Ivan capitalized on the redirected attention and leaned out of cover, firing a quick burst from his SMG in the direction of the scaffolding, dropping the untrained White Fang militia with ease. The remaining two Faunus seemed to panic and begin retreating. Lauren drew her magnum, cleanly slotting two rounds through the heads of the sloppy fighters.

Ivan and Lauren worked on securing the central area of the warehouse while Jacob and Marty worked to secure the upper level offices. As Ivan split from his partner and headed into the small office on the ground floor, he was surprised to find an electrically charged blade slamming into his shields, quickly beginning to drain them. He turned to face his adversary, finding a rather well-built Faunus with a pair of tusks coming from his lower jaw. He reared back the blade for another strike, aiming for the SPARTAN's neck. Ivan quickly ducked under the incoming blade, knocking his back-swing aside. Ivan was surprised at the Faunus's brute strength, as well as the reaction time of the seemingly-normal White Fang grunt.

The bladesman actually managed to start gaining ground on the SPARTAN, knocking his weapon aside, forcing him to go on the defensive. Much to Ivan's surprise, his energy shields were completely drained from the onslaught. He continued backpedaling to better-defend himself, but that quickly began falling as well, as he had no means to actually _block_ the electric currents. Eventually, his weak Aura fell too, allowing the blade to start clashing against titanium alloy plating. Even with Ivan's enhanced reflexes, he found himself strangely matched by the Faunus swordsman. The rather erratic movements from his enemy were almost… choreographed. This Faunus seemed to be able to predict Ivan's every move with relative ease, deflecting his own attacks easily. Suddenly, Ivan found the strange blade embedded in the relatively weak segment of his gel layer's shoulder armor.

Ivan grit his teeth as the metallic blade ground against his shoulder's joint, but he managed to force the pain aside for a moment. The Faunus made the fatal mistake of stabbing into Ivan's body, denying him his own weapon. Ivan quickly reached out with his non-damaged arm, grabbing the swordsman by the neck and clamping down with superhuman strength. He wrenched his entire body weight into a twisting throw, sending his enemy to the floor. In one quick motion, Ivan unsheathed his combat knife and stabbed it through the swordsman's neck. Much to his surprise, this White Fang fighter was trained in Aura usage, this fact signaled by the amount of resistance he received when he was forcing the knife down. It was only when Ivan looked down at his fallen foe and yanked the bloodied knife from his neck that he realized just how much that damned wound hurt.

Luckily, the blade's electric current appeared to have stopped. It seemed to be powered by a trigger within the hilt of the sword itself. Ivan gave his arm an experimental flex, unsurprised when he found himself unable to move it too far without a jolt of searing pain tearing through his side. "Omega… report." Ivan said into his helmet, grinding his teeth together as more pain tore through his shoulder.

"We report all White Fang eliminated." Jacob responded.

"Ground floor's clear, sir." Lauren said. "You alright?"

"Only a giant fucking sword in my shoulder." Ivan responded. "Nothing too bad."

"En-route." Lauren responded, sighing before she cut the communication.

Ivan sat against one of the desks in the small office area, the pain taking its toll now that the adrenaline was wearing off a bit. Lauren came in from the open door, surprised to see a dead White Fang fighter with a rather nasty looking knife wound in his neck. "I leave you alone for one whole minute…" She muses quietly to herself, grabbing a canister of biofoam from her combat harness. "This might sting a bit." She said, grabbing the hilt of the blade embedded in Ivan's shoulder. She ripped the blade out in one quick motion, quickly forcing the nozzle of the biofoam canister into the wound and sending the coagulant into the wound. Ivan winced as the antibacterial and antiseptic met his open wound, then shivered slightly as the foam cooled the area around the wound. "All better?"

"Thanks, mom." Ivan joked, holding his shoulder lightly as he rolled it around. There was still a bit of dull pain, but the worst of the wound could be dealt with by either a medical procedure back at base or his Aura after enough time. "Jacob, anything good on the computers?"

"Negative." Jacob responded. "Mostly harmless shipping manifests and emails. All that's on the manifests is a bunch of Dust shipments from a year ago."

"Let's look around before Vale PD gets involved." Ivan said. "Regroup on the ground floor."

"Aye." Jacob responded, cutting the communication.

Ivan motioned with a quick head movement for Lauren to follow him outside. He deactivated the sickly green glow of his VISR, switching his armor's headlamps on. As he looked around the main shipment floor, he found large metallic shipping crates of varying colors. His heart dropped into his stomach when he saw a large, knee-height case with "UNSC" painted across the lid. "Oh, fuck off…" Ivan said to himself, walking over to the case and flicking open the metallic releases. He lifted the case's lid up, revealing well over eighty kilograms of Compound-12 plastic explosive.

"Jesus!" Lauren declared, looking over the contents of the ordinance case.

"Ivan!" Jacob called out. "We've got an Atlesian Paladin in a shipping crate over here!" Jacob called out over comms.

"And we found enough C-12 to level this whole freakin' block." Ivan said. "I'm notifying the Admiral."

XXXXX

 **April 30, 2682; 0021 Hours**

 **Remnant, Firebase India (CENTCOM)**

Bishop rubbed the bridge of his nose, letting out a long sigh. "How the hell did this happen?" He asked rhetorically. "How did the White-fucking-Fang get their hands on our equipment? We've got no traces of any going missing!"

"No idea, sir." Ivan responded, still clutching his now-bandaged shoulder. "The only other thing we found was a bunch of year-old shipping manifests, a small crate of civilian-grade M6C magnums, the Paladin, and some crates with Atlesian rifles."

"What was on those manifests?" Bishop asked.

"Dust crystals." Jacob responded. "We found the Dust in there too, so that C-12 is definitely not old."

"No shit…" Bishop muttered to himself. "It was still in our goddamn case!" Bishop let out another sigh. "Never mind… I won't figure this out by yelling at one of my best SPARTAN teams. I'll set up an investigation and let ONI know. You're all dismissed."

The SPARTANs all saluted before turning on their heels and leaving. They all headed to the Armory, checked their equipment and ammo, and documented the equipment they had used. Ivan gathered his things and prepared to head back to CENTCOM to send his report off to ONI, ideas still racing through his mind. _"The magnums make sense… Misriah sells them to civilians all over the Colonies. A few weapons stores here even sell semi-auto Battle Rifles."_ His focus shifted towards the explosives as he walked towards the airport in the early hours of Sunday morning. _"The last manifest was a full year old, that's well before we even got here. That Faunus… that Faunus was something else. He fought like… like a Huntsman…"_

XXXXX

 **April 30, 2682; 0400 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon (Dorms)**

Cinder Fall sat on the edge of her bed in the easternmost dormitory of Beacon Academy. She was lazily scanning through a list of Beacon's students, discussing with her team. "What about Arc?"

"Jaune Arc?" Emerald asked, scoffing. "Please. That kid's almost as worthless as that crap sword he carries around everywhere."

"No threat, then." Cinder said, placing Jaune in one category on her tablet. "Nikos is certainly a threat, one that we need to deal with as soon as possible."

"Agreed." Mercury said, lying back on the carpeted floor. "Her Semblance gives her an unprecedented advantage over her opponents."

"Threat then, eliminate as soon as possible." Cinder agreed, grinning wickedly to herself as she set Pyrrha's image aside on her tablet's screen. "That finishes up JNPR… what about RWBY?"

"They're all a threat." Emerald said, adjusting herself on the edge of her bed. "The bimbo's a punching bag that hits back, every hit getting stronger when she takes one."

"Schnee's got connections." Mercury commented. "Not too sure about that Blake girl though. I'm not too familiar with her."

"And Ruby…" Cinder commented, chuckling. "The lucky little Rose. She's rather… impressive as a fighter, despite being little more than a child. She's a threat too… but then there's the SPARTAN." Cinder pressed a few buttons on her tablet, handing it over to Mercury, who moved so Emerald could look as well. They saw the backup security camera footage from the White Fang outpost in the Industrial Sector. All was quiet at first, then the lights went out while the camera remained on, as it was connected to a different circuit than the rest of the building's power. They saw a bright flash, a series of gunshots, and a pair of black-clad SPARTANs storm into the building, firing their weapons at White Fang fighters. Mercury had fought the SPARTAN once, but even he was surprised by how… frighteningly efficient they were. "He's the real threat out of all of them."

"How can we deal with something like that?" Emerald asked, looking to the footage again. She saw the SPARTAN take an electric blade to his right shoulder, shrug off the pain, then stab a combat knife through the neck of the White Fang Lieutenant.

"I've got just the means…" Cinder said, leaning back against the bed with a small grin on her face and a twinkle of malice in her amber irises.


	11. Chapter 11: What Doesn't Kill You

**Chapter 11: What Doesn't Kill You**

 **April 31, 2682; 1835 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon (Team RWBY Dorm)**

Yang casually leaned back on the bed, stretching her legs out and letting out a content sigh. Blake, who was sitting next to her, rolled her eyes as she felt an arm wrap around her shoulder. "You're not gonna let me read, are you?" Blake asked, looking up from her book.

Yang had a toothy grin plastered on her face. "Nope! Still riding high after that match yesterday!"

"I got cooked alive!" Weiss complained, glaring at the blonde from her own bed.

"And we made sure you didn't get overcooked!" Yang retorted, a smile plastered on her face.

"How do you think you'd feel if someone yanked you out of a steam vent after you just got steamed like a vegetable?"

Yang scoffed. "It'd only make me stronger, Weissy." Yang let the toothy grin come back. "Remember my Semblance?"

Weiss tossed a pillow at the Blonde, which she wasn't anticipating at all. The feathery object struck her in the face, eliciting a giggle from Ruby and Weiss. Yang's mouth formed a thin line, then eventually turned into a cocked grin. "You did _not_ just start this…"

"Maybe I did…" Weiss goaded, smiling slightly.

Yang quickly grabbed the same pillow, tossing it towards the heiress. Unsurprisingly, Weiss managed to dodge the fluffy projectile, even when Yang put her all into the throw. Yang wasn't quite expecting to be struck in the side by another pillow from Ruby. She looked up to her younger sister, grabbing her chest in mock hurt. Ruby giggled and ducked under the thrown dog pillow that her sister was quite fond of.

The room eventually devolved into an all-out brawl between partners. Ruby and Weiss formed a team against Yang and Blake. Pillows, plushy animals, and other soft objects were tossed across the room. No team managed to gain an outright advantage, but Ruby had started using her Semblance to dodge the occasional projectile directed her way. What was once a rather peaceful fight between friends and partners became utter chaos.

And that's when the door opened.

XXXXX

 **April 31, 2682; 1825 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon (Landing Pad)**

Ivan stepped off of the Pelican, walking across the landing platform at Beacon. His arm was wrapped in a sterile bandage, still slightly numb from the medical treatment. He rubbed his eyes, hoping to fight off the fatigue from the mission two nights prior. As much as he wished to go back to his dorm room, fall into his bed, and sleep until next week, he still had to debrief and write after-action reports, keeping him on-base for an extra day.

As Ivan walked, he saw the familiar Winter Schnee walking towards the Academy from her own small airship, her omnipresent guard of Atlesian Knights surrounding her. She made eye contact with him, waving off her android guards as she strode in his direction. Her Knights still followed behind, but at a further distance. "Colonel Chesnokov, a pleasure to see you again." Winter said, giving a polite smile. Ivan gave a polite nod as she greeted him. She could see the telltale signs of fatigue in his eyes, his helmet tucked under the crook of his arm. "I assume you're heading back to your dorm? I'm going to see Weiss anyways, do you mind if I follow?"

Ivan shook his head. "Not at all." Winter walked alongside him, the Atlesian Knights still following at a distance.

"You look tired." Winter commented. "I don't suppose that would have anything to do with the UNSC's recent operation against the White Fang?"

"It would." Ivan responded. "Beyond that, it's classified."

"I'd imagine." Winter reasoned. "Ironwood is grateful for the UNSC returning the Paladin."

"I'm surprised they were even able to get their hands on something like that…" Ivan mused.

"You and I both." Winter said, sighing heavily. "These savages always seem to have a trick up their sleeve somewhere." A few more moments of relative silence passed, the sound of whirring servos from the Knights filling the air with their mechanical tones. "Colonel Chesnokov, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"You can ask." Ivan responded. "Whether or not I can answer depends on the question."

"What's your mission?"

"My mission?" Ivan asked, giving Winter a sideways glance.

"Here on Remnant." Winter explained. "You're already an effective soldier, you're an accomplished commander, and you could probably retire now and live comfortably… I suppose what I'm asking is, why are you still here?"

Ivan shrugged. "Honestly… most SPARTANs join the Program with the idea of saving and protecting Humanity. We're similar to Huntsmen in that way. Humanity doesn't really need protecting up there anymore." Ivan gestured with his thumb towards the star-lit sky. "A hundred years ago, that was different. Twenty seven billion people dead in thirty years… every human had that idea when they joined the UNSC. Humanity used to hide in the shadow of giants, hoping not to get stepped on…"

"What happened?" Winter asked, somewhat familiar with the history of the UNSC.

"Humanity became the giant." Ivan responded. "We own half of the damn Orion Arm and we're extending our reach, our population's returning to our pre-war numbers, and the galaxy's in an unprecedented time of peace. What I'm trying to say is… I personally requested to be stationed here on Remnant. There's no place for me up there… not without something to fight for."

"You said you joined the UNSC to protect Humanity… is that what you're fighting for here?" Winter asked.

"Pretty much." Ivan affirmed with a nod. "This planet's been separated from the rest of Humanity for almost half a thousand years. You've been fighting off these damn Grimm for just as long. Humanity's actually threatened here… there's actually a place for me here." Ivan sighed, looking around the inactive campus of Beacon. "What about you?"

"What do you mean?" Winter asked.

"Why did you join the Atlesian Specialists? Why not just become a normal Huntress?" Ivan explained.

Winter sighed. "Honestly… I'm not sure. Your reasons for doing what you do make mine seem trivial in comparison."

"How so?"

"You compare yourself to the fallen soldiers of the UNSC from a century ago. You fight to protect the Human species as a whole, not just a nation. For me… I mostly blame my father." Winter elaborated. Ivan cocked an eyebrow. "It's just… He's incredibly overbearing. I consider myself lucky… I managed to avoid that part of the Schnee legacy for the most part. Weiss wasn't so lucky."

"What do you mean?" Ivan asked, adjusting his pack.

"Weiss was… much different when she was young." Winter explained. "I miss the youthful innocence that came with being young. When I decided to study at Atlas as opposed to taking over Schnee Dust, my father started… training Weiss in how to be a shrewd businesswoman. Essentially… he changed her fundamentally. She had a normal childhood until she was six, then she lost her childhood to her family name. She's the heiress to one of the most powerful corporations on Remnant, and our father expected her to act like it from day one."

"I can't imagine…" Ivan said. "I think that part of her still exists, though."

"Really?" Winter asked, cocking an eyebrow with a slight grin on her face. "So my father's reach wasn't absolute?"

"Apparently not. She started the first year as a bit…" Ivan paused, searching for a good word.

"Bitchy?" Winter asked, finishing Ivan's sentence for him.

"A bit brash, but it works." Ivan said, chuckling. "As the year went on and she started talking with her team, she… changed. She became less of 'Weiss the Heiress' and more 'Weiss the Teammate and Friend'."

"Really?" Winter asked, smiling broadly. "Good for her."

Ivan smiled. "I don't think I'll ever forget my time here at Beacon… Weiss went from calling almost every Faunus she saw a degenerate to standing up for Velvet." He chuckled. "I feel bad for exploding at her in Vale… she didn't deserve that."

Winter smiled, chuckling to herself. "She's a good kid… I'm glad she managed to convince Father to let her attend Beacon instead of Atlas."

"So am I." Ivan responded. "To be totally honest with you… Team RWBY would've fallen apart without its W."

Ivan moved to open the door to the dormitory, having finished the relatively short walk between the landing pads and the Year One Dorms. After sliding his Scroll across the small scanning mechanism, he pushed the door open. As he opened the door fully, he was struck in the face by a pillow. Ivan was so dumbstruck that he simply allowed the pillow to fall to the ground.

He was met by the sight of the dorm room he had come to call home completely _covered_ in white feathers and red rose petals. He spotted the illustrious Team RWBY scattered throughout the room. Blake was taking cover on the top bunk of her and Yang's side of the room, using her brawler girlfriend as cover. Ruby was suspended from the side of her bed while Weiss was hiding behind the dangling sheets she used as a divider between her bed and the rest of the room. The sounds of gleeful laughter and the sight of flying projectiles stopped once the SPARTAN stepped inside, a humored grin on his face. "So this is what you guys do when I'm not around?" Ivan asked while stepping inside, Winter following behind him with an amused smile on her face.

"Ivan!" Ruby said, almost falling from her perch. "Where were you? You've been gone for two days!"

"Mission." Ivan responded.

"Winter!" Weiss said, poking her head out from cover. She deftly dodged a stealthy toss from Yang, glaring daggers at the laughing blonde.

"You see what I deal with?" Ivan joked, tossing his helmet into its designated nook in the closet.

Winter smiled. "Hello Weiss, care to introduce me to the rest of your team?"

"Oh!" Weiss said. "Of course!" She turned to look at Blake and Yang. "Blake, Yang; this is my older sister Winter."

"Hi!" Yang said, waving happily. Blake simply gave a small smile and nod.

"A pleasure to meet all of you." Winter said with a smile. "You all performed exceptionally well in the tournament."

"How'd that go, by the way?" Ivan asked, sitting on his bed. The furniture creaked under the weight of his armor, but it held. Thankfully, his little corner of the room was spared from the onslaught.

"We won!" Yang declared, happily. "Thanks in no small part to Weiss. She literally threw herself and one of Atlas's students into a steam vent to keep me in the game!"

"Really?" Ivan asked, leaning back against the wall. "That's awesome."

"They did exceptionally." Winter said. "Yang's performance was… exceptionally extravagant."

"The crowd paid a good chunk of Lien to watch us beat the hell out of each other." Yang said with a grin. "Might as well give them a good show."

"True enough." Winter said, sitting down in a chair next to Weiss's bed.

"So…" Ruby began, looking to the SPARTAN. "Where did you run off to?"

"Official business on-base." Ivan responded. "Admiral Bishop needed my team for an operation."

"The same one where the UNSC hit a White Fang supply depot?" Blake asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"The same one." Ivan responded. "Beyond that, I'm not at liberty to discuss it."

"I'm glad that someone's proving effective against the White Fang." Weiss said. A moment later, Weiss looked to her older sister. "Winter… how long are you going to be in Vale?"

"I'm not quite sure." Winter responded. "General Ironwood said that we might be here months after the tournament to assist against the White Fang."

"That's good to hear." Weiss said.

"Now, I'm going to head back to Ironwood's ship." Winter said. "It looks like your resident SPARTAN is about to pass out, anyways."

"Nah…" Ivan said, lying back.

Winter scoffed. "Good night, everyone." Winter said, leaving Team RWBY after waving goodbye to her sister.

"Your sister seems nice, Weiss." Blake said, still sitting behind Yang.

"She is…" Weiss said. "I just wish I could see her more."

"At least she'll be in Vale for a while." Ruby said, poking her head down to look at the Heiress.

Ivan almost had to force himself up onto his feet, grabbing a T-shirt from the closet as he headed for the dorm's small restroom to change. Before fully standing up, he keyed into his Neural Implant and activated the armor's emergency release mechanism. All of the various parts of MJOLNIR clattered to the floor as he stood, making his way for the bathroom. He emerged a few moments later, the white bandages under his shirt visible beneath the neckline. Ruby looked on in concern. "Ivan… what happened?"

Ivan looked down at his shoulder, the painkillers still keeping the pain to a dulled state. "A slight… altercation during my mission." Ivan responded. "I need to discuss something with Ozpin tomorrow morning."

"What happened?" Blake asked, noticing the bandages as well.

"On my mission… I ran into a Huntsman-trained White Fang fighter."

XXXXX

 **May 1, 2682; 0600 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon (Team RWBY Dorm)**

Ivan woke up on the next morning, dreading the Monday fatigue. He had set his internal clock to wake himself an hour early. He quickly donned his normal Beacon uniform, slipped his handgun into his waistband holster, grabbed his pack, and headed out before anyone else woke up. Weiss and Blake had been questioning Ivan for an hour the previous night, Blake seeming very interested in this White Fang Huntsman. She had asked what kind of Faunus he was, but even Ivan didn't have an answer. She seemed to have a vested interest in this, so he made a mental note.

Ivan rolled his shoulder as he walked, happy to find that his Aura had healed most of the minor damage overnight. All that was left was a dull ache, as opposed to the searing pain that he had expected. He had removed the bandage, pleasantly surprised to find only a small two-inch scar on his skin, a faint one at that.

As Ivan was running through his explanation to Ozpin in his mind, he was so lost in thought that he lightly bumped into someone as they rounded the corner. The person he bumped into wore a black and white Haven uniform, had black hair covering one of her eyes, and had bright, almost burning amber irises. This was the same woman that had stared at him for a few moments just the week before. As she regarded him, he could see an image of irritation behind her eyes, but they shifted to a more indifferent look when she looked him in the eye. "Sorry." Ivan said, standing up and offering the woman his hand. "Lost in my own head."

"It's no problem." The woman said, accepting the SPARTAN's offer of assistance. As she stood up, she stood just slightly shorter than Ivan. He had about two inches on her.

"I'm afraid that I don't know your name, Miss…" Ivan began, hoping she would fill him in.

"Cinder." The woman responded, smirking slightly. "Cinder Fall."

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Fall." Ivan said. "Ivan Chesnokov."

"I'm quite familiar with who you are, Ivan." Cinder said, smiling slightly. "And it's just Cinder."

"Alright, Cinder." Ivan said, nodding. "I'm surprised that anyone else is up at six in the morning."

"Just looking to clear my head before class." Cinder explained. "I needed some time to think. I'm surprised that you're awake right now. I remember seeing you getting back last night fairly late."

Ivan shrugged. "As much as I'd enjoy more sleep, I need to talk with Ozpin."

"Ah." Cinder said, nodding. "Well, don't let me keep you." She gave Ivan a small, yet friendly smile. "It was a pleasure to finally meet you in person. I'd like to talk with you more."

"The feeling's mutual." Ivan said, returning the smile. "Now, I should be going."

"I'll see you in the Combat Training Class. I should go make sure my teammates are behaving before classes start." Cinder said, striding away on her glass heels.

Ivan dusted himself off, continuing on his way. After a few short minutes of walking, he found himself at the base of Beacon Tower. He stepped into the elevator and pressed a few keys, signaling it to head to Ozpin's office. The short elevator ride revealed Ozpin's office, the gears still working in their clockwork manner on the ceiling and floor. Ozpin was typing something on his computer terminal, while Qrow sat across from the older Huntsman. "Mister Chesnokov, please come in." Ozpin said, not even looking up from his terminal.

Qrow turned around, not expecting anyone to walk in. "Oh, SPARTAN." Qrow said, looking Ivan up and down. "What're you doing here?"

"Discussing something with professor Ozpin." Ivan said, stepping over. "It's a matter of… sensitive nature."

"Does this have something to do with the UNSC attacking a White Fang depot?" Ozpin asked, looking up from his computer. His expression wasn't accusatory, it was simply indifferent. "Sit down."

"It does." Ivan said, sitting in the second chair upon Ozpin's request. "I'm sure that you're well aware that Roman Torchwick was trained as a Huntsman prior to his… change in allegiance." Ivan said, pulling a small chip out from the base of his neck, sending a slight chill down his spine as the Neural Implant reset to an inert state.

"I am aware." Ozpin responded, leaning back in his seat, taking a sip from his omnipresent mug.

"I figured that you need to see this." Ivan said, handing the chip over. "That's video footage from my helmet's optical sensors. ONI's cleared me to share this data with you."

Ozpin slotted the chip into a port on his terminal, watching the footage from Ivan's perspective. He saw the relatively quick gunfight, as well as the SPARTANs clearing the area. He leaned forward when he saw the images of Ivan engaging the lone sword-wielding White Fang fighter. Ozpin cocked an eyebrow as he saw the fight wind to a close, with a combat knife embedded in the throat of a Faunus. The footage abruptly cut after Ivan had his wound tended to.

Ozpin looked up from the computer again as Ivan spoke. "There's only two kinds of person that can fight a SPARTAN that well, that'd be another SPARTAN or a Huntsman."

"I know…" Ozpin said, pushing his spectacles further up his nose. "I knew that some Faunus Huntsmen would have some sentiment towards the White Fang, and I fully expected them to ally themselves with the organization to a degree. It's rather sad to actually see it."

"You know who's behind this Oz." Qrow said, sighing. "Our asset can't work in the shadows much longer."

"I know…" Ozpin said, taking another sip of coffee. He turned back to Ivan, who had an inquisitive expression on his face. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Colonel." Ozpin said, using Ivan's rank for the first time since his return as he handed the chip back. "I believe you have classes to attend?" Ozpin's words seemed more like a command, rather than a question.

Ivan took the hint, nodding. "Of course." He stood up, straightening out his clothes. "If you ever decide that the UNSC can help… please don't hesitate." Ivan turned to leave, stepping into the elevator. Ivan rode the elevator back down and began making his way back to his room. He let out a heavy sigh as he stepped inside, preparing for another day of classes.

XXXXX

 **May 6, 2682; 1110 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vytal Festival Arena**

Ivan sat in the stands of the Vytal Festival Tournament once again. He watched the fight between Weiss and a student from Vacuo. The Vacuo huntsman seemed to be able to play to Weiss's weaknesses almost perfectly. The Heiress seemed to be having more than a little trouble against her opponent. Ruby was wholeheartedly cheering her partner on from the stands as she landed a successful strike against her opponent, knocking his Aura down. Their auras were almost perfectly even, with Weiss's being two points lower. Ivan even saw Winter cheering her younger sister on.

Ivan saw Weiss use the terrain, being icy tundra, to her advantage. She used her Semblance to create glyphs, hoping to trap her opponent in a ring of glyphs. The Vacuo Huntsman ducked under a stream of Ice Dust, tossing a Fire Dust spell in Weiss's direction. The glyphs collapsed as Weiss was forced to redirect her attention towards the stream of pure fire coming her way. Ivan was surprised to find that four of the Glyphs that Weiss was creating on the ground around her began spinning rapidly. He had never seen her Glyphs do anything like this before. What truly amazed him, and the rest of Team RWBY, was what came next.

Four tendrils of the same… stuff that comprised Weiss's Glyphs began seeping out of the center of each Glyph. The white tendrils of light began to quickly intertwine. Eventually, they formed into a humanoid shape, appearing to look rather similar to a suit of plate armor. Everyone around him was surprised to find that the humanoid apparition started moving, drawing a large blade from its back. It stood at just over nine feet tall, dwarfing Weiss by four feet. The Vacuo Huntsman was forced on the offensive by the flurry of quick strikes from Weiss and the heavy, bone-shattering strikes from the Glyph Apparition.

Ivan watched in amazement as the massive suit of armor began slamming its giant Claymore down against the Vacuo Huntsman's weapon. The Huntsman's defense eventually started collapsing against the onslaught of attacks from Weiss and her Summon. A final blow from a vial of Blast Dust, which was infused with the Summon's blade, sent the Vacuo Huntsman out of the arena, slamming into the energy shields. The entire arena exploded into applause at the stunning display of combat prowess.

Ivan cheered along with the rest of Team RWBY as Weiss sheathed Myrtenaster. As she seemed to relax, the Apparition dissipated slowly, fading back into the four glyphs, which disappeared soon after. Ruby pulled the rest of the team along, including Winter, to the base of the Arena. As Team RWBY ran over to rejoin their W, Ruby almost exploded as she squealed happily. "Weiss!" Ruby said. "That was amazing! How did you do that?!"

Weiss cracked a small, almost tired smile. "That's a part of my Semblance." Weiss explained. "I just never really mastered it quite like Winter until now. That's why I was always in the training room late at night, it was trying to get that down."

"It certainly was impressive." Winter said, smiling.

"Weiss!" Ruby said, excitedly. "We're going to the final round!"

"We're gonna kick the other team's ass!" Yang said, pumping her fist. "Who're we fighting?"

Ivan glanced up to one of the holographic screens in the hallways, seeing the two teams going against one another. It was Sun and Neptune's team against Cinder's team. Ivan had yet to see the fourth member of Cinder's team in action. She was a short girl with black pigtails and a black dress. She seemed almost giddy as she pummeled the tattooed member of Sun's team. Cinder had a look of passive indifference on her face as she tossed Neptune aside like a ragdoll, knocking him out of the fight with two quick strikes. Emerald and Mercury quickly finished off Sun and the final member of their team, winning the match for Cinder's team from Haven. "And that's who were going up against…" Ivan said.

"Looks like we get to make good on our promise!" Yang said, smiling wildly. "One more win, and we're the champions!"


	12. Chapter 12: The Fall

**Chapter 12: The Fall**

 **May 13, 2682; 1200 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vytal Festival Arena**

Ivan sat in his seat at the final round of the Vytal Festival. It featured one member of each surviving team, facing off against a random opponent. There were sixteen remaining combatants, Yang being one of them. He watched as the Blonde funneled onto the barren, metallic arena with the fifteen other Huntsmen-in-training, separating into two groups of eight. Pyrrha was down there as well, along with Sun and Mercury. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the final round of the Vytal Festival Tournament!" Professor Port announced over the loudspeakers, causing the entire stadium to erupt into cheers. "Let's see who will be fighting in the first match!" Oobleck announced.

Ivan watched the slot machine-like rotating selection of pictures on the viewscreen, seeing Yang's picture appear on the left-most column. After a few more moments of waiting, she was matched up against Mercury. Blake applauded rather cheerily for her girlfriend, Ruby giving a rather similar response as well. Weiss simply clapped and kept her posture rather proper. Winter had decided to join her sister at the Tournament, leaving Ivan on the end next to Winter and a set of empty seats.

As the fourteen other Huntsmen filed out of the arena, leaving only Yang and Mercury on the platform, Port started counting down from three. Once he reached "one", Yang rushed forth, sending a flurry of punches at Mercury. Mercury was rather successful at blocking or dodging any attack coming his way, but he seemed unable to land a truly _devastating_ hit that he was known for. Ivan had seen Mercury fight on multiple occasions, but something just seemed off. Yang continued to press her advantage, making use of Mercury's… blatant errors and misjudgments. "This is hardly even a match." Winter commented.

"You're right…" Ivan said, reaching up to his Neural Implant to ensure that he had a chip inserted. He quickly sent a signal to the implant to start recording sensory data. "Something's wrong."

"What do you mean?" Winter asked, looking to the uniformed SPARTAN.

"Look at how many openings that he's giving her." Ivan said, gesturing to the battle taking place. "I've seen that kid fight, hell I even fought him once. He's only ever made mistakes like this against me and Pyrrha. He's letting her win."

"Why would he do that?" Winter asked, looking to the SPARTAN for answers. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw Mercury give an early celebration, followed by Yang's bone-shattering, semblance-fueled punch into his gut, knocking his Aura completely down and winning her the match.

Mercury slowly moved himself up from his prone position, resting on one knee as Yang suppressed her fiery Semblance. Ivan saw her say something to him, which was completely overshadowed by the cheers of the stadium around him. When Yang turned to begin walking towards the stands, Ivan saw Yang wheel around and sent a slug into Mercury's leg. He collapsed to the ground in a heap, grasping at the morbidly twisted limb and screaming out in pain. Yang quickly responded by shouting something down at the wounded Mercury, her words drowned out by the collective screams of the crowd.

The entire stadium, including Team RWBY, gasped in surprise as they found Mercury lying on the floor of the stadium with a broken leg. His Tibia was snapped at a twenty degree angle, the bone making a slight bump in his slacks. "What the hell?" Ivan asked, looking down at the scene before him. Ivan was even more surprised when a group of eight Atlesian Knights and two Atlesian soldiers came rushing from somewhere, surrounding the brawler with their weapons aimed at her. They began barking orders at her to stand down.

"Yang!" Blake shouted, standing upright. Ivan made the mistake of looking to his right when he heard Blake shout out. He saw footage on one of the holographic screens; clearly showing Yang attacking Mercury, for no reason whatsoever, once the match was already concluded.

Ivan saw all of the cameras shut down and watched as Emerald rushed over to her fallen partner. "Jesus…" Ivan muttered, looking around, seeing all of the screens showing the exact same footage before they finally shut down too.

"Good lord… why would Yang do that?" Winter asked, looking to the SPARTAN.

Ivan nodded, watching the Atlesian Knights lead Yang out of the arena. He stood up, motioning for the rest of Team RWBY to follow him. "She wouldn't, not without good reason." He said. "Let's go."

"But-" Blake tried, only to have Ivan hold out a hand. "We'll get Yang, just follow me."

Ivan quickly led the team out of the commotion of the stadium, Blake being the first to speak up as they made their way towards the stairs. "What's going on, Ivan?"

"Something's not right." Ivan responded. "Yang's a bit hotheaded, but not enough to attack a defenseless person. I think something's wrong."

"What happened?" Ruby asked, still oblivious to the situation.

"I think Yang saw Mercury attacking her. It could just be combat stress, but Yang's been through worse than a monitored tournament fight." Ivan responded as he descended the steps, catching sight of the Atlesian Knights and soldiers that were escorting the blonde.

"Yang!" Blake exclaimed, prompting the Blonde to turn and face the Faunus. As she turned, one of the Atlesian Knights grabbed her by the arm and wrenched her forward.

"Let me go!" Yang demanded, yanking her arm away.

"Stand down." Ivan said, stepping forward. The two Atlesian Soldiers saw him, and his rank pins, and suddenly became much less sure of themselves. "Where are you taking her?"

"S-She'll be taken to the Academy while the Tournament Board conducts an investigation." The Soldier responded.

"She needs a military escort for that?!" Blake said.

"She attacked a defenseless student, kid." The Atlesian Sergeant responded. "General Ironwood's orders."

Ivan saw Blake's hands ball up into fists. He held out a hand. "Blake…" He said, looking to her. He directed his attention over to Yang. "Yang, go with them for now. We'll meet up with you at the dorm."

"We can bring her back to Beacon ourselves!" Weiss said, staring at the Atlesians.

"There's nothing we can do, not without making this an even bigger mess." Ivan said, calmly.

"Can't you order them to stand down?" Yang pleaded.

"He's not our commander." The Atlesian soldier responded. "As much as I enjoy listening to this… we're going now."

"Give it some time, Yang." Ivan said, allowing the Atlesians to leave. "I'll do what I can."

As the Soldiers and Androids walked out of the stadium, onto a landing pad, Blake turned to Ivan, staring daggers into him. "How could you just let them walk away?!" Blake demanded. "Does this team mean that little to you?!"

Ivan's face hardened, his expression becoming completely stoic and indifferent. "What was I supposed to do?" Ivan asked, his voice level and calm. "Draw my sidearm and start making demands of the armed soldiers of a foreign power?"

Blake gritted her teeth together. "You could have done something!" She shouted, catching a few glances from people passing by.

"And I intend to do something." Ivan said. "But I represent the UNSC here on Remnant… as much as I'd like to get Yang back here _right now_ , there's nothing I can do without making everything worse." He sighed. "You all take an airship back to Beacon…"

"But-" Weiss tried.

"No!" Ivan said. "I'm not letting the three of you get in trouble for what I'm doing."

"You're a part of our team, Ivan." Ruby said. "We're all in this together! Right?" Everyone in Team RWBY, even Winter, nodded.

Ivan sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Fine…" He looked to Winter. "Winter… Come with me, I'm reporting this to HIGHCOM."

Winter nodded, allowing Ivan to continue. "You three are coming with me too." Ivan said, looking to the rest of Team RWBY.

XXXXX

 **May 13, 2682; 1301 Hours**

Ivan stepped out of the Airship in downtown Vale, mere blocks from Firebase India. Ruby, Weiss, Winter, and Blake followed closely behind, wondering why Ivan had led them downtown. "Ivan!" Weiss asked, falling in step behind him. "Where are we going?"

"UNSC Central Command for all operations on Remnant." Ivan responded. "I need to check something."

"We're allowed inside?" Blake asked, looking at the approaching concrete-metal walls and gun turrets, which were deactivated.

"Under my supervision." Ivan responded, stepping up to the two Marines on guard duty.

"Colonel!" The Sergeant saluted, standing at attention.

"At ease!" Ivan said, waving his gesture off. "I need access to the base, they're with me."

"Yes sir." The Sergeant said, pressing a few keys after Ivan flashed his ID. "Welcome to Firebase India."

A pair of metallic doors opened up, allowing the four inside. Once inside, Ruby, Weiss, and Blake's mouth hung ajar as they saw, for the first time, the full breadth of the UNSC's CENTCOM facility. A group of ODSTs in their black armor were running cadence around the edge of the massive courtyard. A pair of HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mantis Mechs stomped around a loading pad, carrying large crates. And a large group of Marines were being drilled by an instructor. A few of them, much to Blake's surprise, had Faunus features.

"The UNSC has Faunus Marines?" Blake asked, amazed.

Ivan nodded. "Yep… A few Faunus just graduated from ODST Drop School too."

"What is that?!" Ruby asked, pointing to the Mantis. "And why is it so awesome?!"

"It's a Mantis." Ivan responded. "They're a bit like Paladins, but much more… economical."

"And that?" Ruby asked, pointing to a massive, irregularly-shaped VTOL with four massive jet propulsion engines, missile tubes on the back, and sported a massive amount of autocannons and pulse laser cannons.

"The Condor Gunship." Ivan responded. "Stupidly expensive and stupidly awesome."

Ivan stepped up to the main door of the central building, which had a ramp leading underground. He flashed his ID at a small scanner, then leveling his eye against a small scanner, which beeped after a moment. He motioned for Team RWBY to follow behind him as he walked through the wide hallway.

The internals of the normal UNSC Firebase is almost like a UNSC ship. Its walls are dull gray, the occasional light providing just enough luminescence. The occasional Marine was walking through the hallways, giving the SPARTAN-in-uniform a quick salute as they walked. Ivan continued to lead the way through the winding subterranean passages of the military installation, eventually coming upon the Command Information Center.

Much to the SPARTAN's surprise, Admiral Bishop was not present. In his place at the head of a large holographic projection table was a man wearing a perfectly-tailored black suit, white undershirt, and black tie. He had glowing, almost robotic blue eyes, cleanly cut blonde hair, and wore a small pin on the lapel of his coat. The pin was a pyramid, a perfect circle placed in the center. The hairs on the back of Ivan's neck stood on end, seeing the ONI agent taking Bishop's place. The ONI Spook turned to face the SPARTAN, giving him a rather inquisitive look. Ivan recognized him as ONI Agent Gavin Thorne, the agent initially in command of his recon mission on Remnant almost a year ago. "SPARTAN Chesnokov, welcome back to Firebase India. I see you've brought company."

"Sir!" Ivan said, saluting. Thorne quickly waved the gesture off.

"A pleasure to meet Team RWBY." Thorne said, nodding his head. "You appear to be missing your Y, however."

"Have you been watching the tournament?" Winter asked, standing almost at attention.

"I don't believe I know who you are." Thorne began. He approached Winter, eventually coming close enough for Winter to realize that his eyes were indeed robotic. The irises of his eyes seemed to rotate as they focused and adjusted to his movements. "ONI Field Agent Thorne." The Agent said, giving a nod.

"Specialist Winter Schnee, Atlesian Military." Winter responded.

Thorne snapped his fingers, pointing. "That's where I've seen you before! You're Ironwood's shadow! Now… for your question: of course I've been watching the Tournament, it's hard not to on Remnant."

"Then you know what happened today." Winter stated.

"Of course." Thorne said, nodding. "Even if I didn't, I wouldn't expect a SPARTAN, Team RWBY, and an Atlesian Specialist to come in simply for a courtesy call. Now, I take it your visit has something to do with Miss Xiao Long's recent… apprehension by Atlas' soldiers?"

"It does." Ivan responded, pulling a chip from the back of his head, handing it over to Thorne. "ONI's been collecting records on Semblances, correct?"

"That's correct, Colonel." Thorne affirmed. "I take it you want access to these files?"

"What do you mean 'gathering records on Semblances?" Ruby asked, drawing Thorne's attention.

"Simply keeping records on Semblances." Thorne stated, matter-of-factly. "Beyond that, I'm afraid it's classified." As Thorne spoke, he tapped a few commands into the holographic interface on the table. "Merlin, I want you to upload all data regarding Semblances to a storage drive for the Colonel, my authorization."

"Aye sir." The familiar synthesized voice said, his image appearing on the table. "Great to see all of you again."

"What do you believe _actually_ happened at the Tournament, Colonel?" Thorne asked, looking to the SPARTAN.

"Something here seems… familiar." Ivan answered. "Some of the Atlesian Solders that were present during Torchwick's apprehension reported visual distortions and hallucinations in the caverns while pursuing a hostile. I believe this is connected somehow."

"You don't think this was simply an accident?" Thorne asked.

"I know Yang well, sir." Ivan responded. "If she can handle a Covenant attack without breaking down, she can handle a monitored fight. Ozpin and Qrow have both mentioned a wider plan at play here, and I think this is playing into it somehow."

"The timing would fit…" Thorne nodded, humming. "As Grimm attacks are amplified by negative Human emotion, something like this would and has served to increase attacks on Vale's walls."

"Who would plan something like this, just to have Grimm attack Vale's walls?" Ruby wondered aloud.

"The White Fang?" Blake questioned.

"They're a likely candidate, but based on their lack of recent operations in the Kingdom, it's a bit shaky at best." Thorne said, watching the lines of code dance across the holographic interface on the table.

Everyone's attention was grabbed by Merlin's avatar re-appearing on the table. "I think I've found a few Semblances that would play into this, SPARTAN." Merlin began. "There are two Semblances that have been confirmed as 'sensory modifiers', allowing the user to actively alter another's perception of the world. One is known as 'Hallucination', while the other is referred to as 'Illusory Glass'. I'll transfer all relevant data over to a drive for you."

"Well… this is an interesting development." Thorne commented, rubbing his chin. He stood upright, pulling the chip out. "Colonel, you're cleared to bring this information to whomever you deem necessary."

"Aye, sir." Ivan nodded.

XXXXX

 **May 13, 2682; 1321 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon Academy (Team RWBY Dorm)**

"I'm sorry, Miss Xiao Long, but we're left with no choice." Ironwood explained, being the only one in the dorm standing.

"But he attacked me!" Yang defended herself.

"Video footage and millions of viewers suggests otherwise." Ironwood responded.

"But Yang would never do that!" Weiss defended her teammate, Ruby voicing her agreement.

Ironwood sighed. "You all seem like good students, and the staff here at Beacon are aware that none of you would lash out as you did… under normal circumstances. What I believe, and what I hope this to be is nothing more than the result of stress and adrenaline. When you're out on the battlefield, your judgement can become clouded in an instant."

Ironwood found himself cut off as Ivan spoke up. "That's what I had originally considered at first, General." Ivan interjected. "If it weren't for all of Team RWBY making it through the Covenant attack with their composure intact." He glanced over to Yang. "Yang, while you had your back turned to Mercury, did you experience any visual or auditory hallucinations?"

"Yeah!" Yang declared. "I heard a really weird humming when I saw Mercury lunge at me, and it looked like everything else was out of focus for a second! I thought it was adrenaline…"

"What are you saying, Colonel?" Ironwood asked, looking to Ivan.

Ivan reached into his uniform's jacket, producing a datapad with the storage drive Merlin had prepared for him. He had also added the debriefing records of the Atlesian Soldiers present in the Caverns all those months ago. "It sounds rather similar to what your men experienced in the caverns, General." Ivan handed the datapad over to Ironwood, who took it and scanned it over.

Ironwood hummed. Truth be told, he had long forgotten about that debrief. Now, he was rather glad he had shared it with the UNSC. "I think you may be right, Colonel." Ironwood nodded, looking up from the datapad. "You think someone intentionally manipulated the outcome of the fight?"

"After hearing Yang confirm it, I can safely say so." Ivan nodded. "And the fact she gave you that answer with no prompts from me… well, I'd say it at least warrants an investigation."

Ironwood chuckled. "I'd heard that your 'ONI' was thorough." He handed the tablet back to the SPARTAN, looking to him. "Alright… I'll stall the Tournament Board for as long as I can. See what you can dig up."

Ivan glanced over to Yang, seeing a grateful look on her face. He'd set this right. After all, he had a new team to look after now.

XXXXX

 **May 14, 2682; 0800 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vale (Industrial Sector)**

Sunday morning, Mercury's endlessly irritating alarm woke him. He slowly sat up, cracking his back in the process. He looked down at his leg, content to find that his cybernetics tinkering had repaired much of the damage, other than the superficial scratches. For the most part, it was just a bit scuffed around the impact point. Looking around, he noticed that Emerald and Cinder were nowhere to be found. He started going about his normal morning routines, throwing on his normal black-gray vest and slacks, strapping his boots to his feet, and getting prepared for the busy day ahead of him, all of which would be spent sitting around in this warehouse.

Mercury felt his Scroll buzz, notifying him of a news story that was recently published by the Vale News Network. For the most part, it was outlining the increased attacks on Vale's walls by Grimm, and the UNSC's attempts to repel the attacks. The article featured an image of a full squad of ODSTs manning a defensive position, gunning down Beowolves with UNSC MG emplacements. He sighed contently, happy to know that the plan was still going swimmingly.

After stepping out of his small makeshift bedroom, he heard the faint sound of footfalls outside. _"Looks like they're back."_ he thought to himself, plopping down in a chair and kicking his feet up on an empty spool that he was using for a table. Much to his surprise, the footfalls stopped completely. Confused, he sat up straight and looked around. In a single moment, everything that could have gone wrong went wrong.

Every door on the warehouse's outer walls exploded inwards from a small C-12 breaching charge, platoons of UNSC Marines filing into the Warehouse with their weapons readied. "UNSC Marines; on the ground!" He heard one of them shout. As they moved to surround him, he noticed that they were wearing… different armor than usual. Their armor looked almost like a SPARTAN's, but lighter and more compact. Not being one to leave his enemies waiting, he sprang into action.

Three of the Marines to his direct front were struck in the chest by his explosive projectiles, knocking them back against the various walls and shipping containers scattered throughout the warehouse. "Open fire!" He heard one shout, followed by the steady rattling of UNSC Assault Rifles. Something was different about these weapons. They hit _really_ hard. As they started whittling down his Aura, he spun around and fired his weapons in rapid succession. Almost all of the Marines had been knocked back, the energy shields of their armor absorbing most of the impacts, but Mercury felt a force unlike anything he had ever experienced slam into him from above, sending him to the floor.

As his vision slowly faded back into normalcy, he found himself pinned under a very familiar suit of black MJOLNIR Gen-2 powered armor, the barrel of an M6 SOCOM magnum pressed to his forehead. He recognized this armor, and the weapon… this was Ivan who had him pinned under a half-ton of armor and man.

Behind the SPARTAN was the familiar form of Winter Schnee, her rapier at her hip. Mercury looked up to the SPARTAN again, a feeling of dread welling up in his chest. "Quick healer, huh?" Ivan asked, rhetorically, pressing the magnum against Mercury's unprotected forehead.

As Mercury stared up at the SPARTAN, he watched as the armored behemoth glanced over to the wounded Marines. He saw, just for the briefest moment, a slight flicker of black energy around the SPARTAN's hands that disappeared just as fast as it had appeared. He wasn't sure if even Ivan saw it.

Ivan simply sighed, seeing a distinct lack of response from Mercury. "Winter, remove his boots."

Winter nodded, running over and yanking Mercury's footwear off. She let out the slightest hint of a gasp. "Good lord…" She muttered.

"What is it?" Ivan asked, not taking his eyes off of Mercury for even a moment.

"Both of his legs are bionic." Winter explained.

Ivan let out the darkest chuckle Mercury had ever heard from a soldier. "Explains a lot." He brought his weapon down to Mercury's shoulder, sending a round into soft tissue and earning a pained scream from the Huntsman. "Who do you know with a perception-altering Semblance?" Ivan asked, the barrel of his magnum returning to Mercury's forehead

"What the hell are you talking about?" Mercury asked, gritting his teeth.

"Who the fuck do you know!?" Ivan demanded, bringing the barrel right up to Mercury's eye.

"W-what?" Mercury tried. Ivan saw clear through Mercury's lie, bashing him across the cheek with his weapon.

"Talk." Ivan said.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Mercury said, his voice wavering slightly.

"Really?" Ivan asked, applying further pressure to Mercury's midsection with his leg. "Then why did Yang see the same goddamn thing in the Arena as the Atlesians in the Caverns below Mountain Glenn?"

Mercury went wide-eyed, hearing the words from the SPARTAN. He stammered for a few moments, finally forming a coherent sentence. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!" He said.

Ivan sighed, lowering his magnum and putting another round through Mercury's other shoulder. Ivan heard a sickening squelch, which caused Winter to wince, as Mercury's shoulder joint was shattered. Mercury let out a shout of agony as his appendage was bent in an improper way by Ivan's free hand. "One more chance." Ivan threatened.

"Or what?" Mercury said through clenched teeth. "You'll kill me? Then you'll never get what you want!"

"That…" Ivan began, pressing his magnum against Mercury's head, just above his nose. "Or ONI picks through your splattered brains for what we want. We get our answer either way, the only difference is whether you get to live or not."

"You can't do that!" Mercury said, cold metal pressing deeper into his skin as a response.

"We can't?" Ivan asked, cocking an eyebrow beneath his helmet.

Mercury thought long and hard about his next words. He weighed the options in his head. Either he could fight Ivan and _maybe_ get out from under him. But then Schnee would run him through with a sword. Or… he could tell a half-truth. "Neo!" Mercury said, still clenching his teeth. "The short girl on our team!"

"Where is she?" Ivan demanded.

"I don't know!" Mercury said. "She's probably back at Beacon with Cinder and Emerald!"

Ivan remained silent for a moment before finally placing the magnum back on his hip. "Very well… Mercury Black, you're under arrest for conspiring with a terrorist organization to bring harm to the Citizens of Vale, as well as attacking uniformed UNSC personnel." Ivan said, pulling a wicked-looking collar of sorts from his harness and slapping it around Mercury's neck. In an instant, Mercury felt that his Aura had disappeared completely. No longer was it slowly repairing the wounds in his shoulders. "And let's not forget these." Ivan said, removing his body weight from atop Mercury and standing over him. He drew his M6 again, putting four rounds into each of Mercury's cybernetic knee joints, almost completely severing the artificial limbs.

Ivan yanked Mercury up by his shirt, finding the Marines to be keeping their weapons trained on the young Huntsman. Winter looked to him in awe as he motioned for one of the Marines to restrain Mercury's hands. Ivan paid them little mind as he continued speaking. "You will be tried by two separate courts. But… you have something else to do first." As Ivan looked to Winter, he saw the Specialist to be giving him an almost terrified look.

XXXXX

 **May 14, 2681; 1134 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vale (Atlesian Flagship)**

Ivan stepped off of the Pelican that carried him, Winter, four ONISEC Marines in their black SPI Gen-2 armor, and Mercury. The four Marines were tasked with either carrying Mercury or guarding him in the event he attempted an escape. He had killed six Marines and grievously wounded eight others, Ivan could clearly tell that these four were _not_ happy about the young 'Huntsman' still drawing breath.

Ironwood stood in the flagship's hangar, watching the SPARTAN with a stunned look. Ivan was _very_ thankful for Vale's cooperation with ONI in this investigation. They had gladly handed him the tracking code for the air ambulance that had supposedly carried him to a hospital. He doubted that he'd ever forget the looks on their faces when they realized the patient had never been admitted. "Marines!" Ivan ordered, stopping a few feet from Ironwood. With little ceremony, the two lead Marines threw Mercury's disabled body to the ground, the boy landing with a heavy thud.

"That was… quick." Ironwood observed, seeing the shredded cybernetic legs attached to Mercury's body.

"ONI will be forwarding their report from his interrogation to you soon." Ivan explained. "He's to be under your custody until his accomplice is apprehended and the investigation is concluded." Some part of Ivan regretted wasting the biofoam on Mercury's wounds, but he needed to be alive to be of any use. He, much to his conscience's dismay, hoped that ONI would rectify that soon. "ONISEC Marines will have his accomplice in custody within the hour."

XXXXX

 **May 14, 2682; 1402 Hours**

Ivan stood outside the Tournament Director's office, waiting for Yang to exit. It had only been about two hours since ONI Agents had kicked in the door to Mercury's dorm room, arrested Emerald, Neo, and Cinder, and had taken them to CENTCOM for questioning. Neo's apparent speech disability had made the interrogation rather difficult, but there was very little she could have done to prove her innocence regardless. Surprisingly enough, Cinder and Emerald had both passed through the interrogation with seemingly no connections to the plan. Even after running scans on their personal belongings, nothing out of the ordinary was discovered and they were left to walk free. As of right now, Mercury and Neo were onboard a UNSC Frigate bound for Reach for a trial before the UNSC Admiralty Board.

"I'm impressed, SPARTAN…" Ironwood said, walking up beside Ivan. "Do you believe that the other two on their team were truly free of connection?"

Ivan shrugged, glancing over to the General. "I doubt it… Emerald seemed devastated when she heard what happened. Even Cinder seemed surprised. I think they was alone in this one."

"Well, either way… I'm grateful for your help." Ironwood said, shaking Ivan's hand. "I'm glad that Team RWBY can still compete in the tournament… and send my apologies their way."

Ivan smiled, shifting in his stance. "Will do, General…"

"Well… Best of luck to you, SPARTAN." Ironwood nodded, turning to leave.

"Best of luck to you too, sir." Ivan said, nodding. With that, Ivan ;eaned back against the metallic wall just in time to find a now-cleared Yang. Blake rushed over and embraced Yang, wrapping her in a hug, which the Blonde happily returned.

"Aww, thanks Blakey!" Yang said. Ruby quickly ran over and embraced her sister as well, almost knocking the wind out of Yang as she ran into her older sister, a trail of rose petals fluttering to the ground in her wake. After a few moments of love, Yang was able to look over to Ivan. "You know, Ivan… You're like a miracle worker." She said with a smile.

Ivan shrugged, returning the smile. "I do what I can. And it looks like you guys only have one more fight to go before you're the winners. And you'll be going up against Pyrrha."

"Really?!" Yang asked, happily. "Awesome!"

"Now, I think a bit of a break is in order." Weiss said. "We should all go back and get ready, I'd like to take everyone out to eat, my treat!"

"Sign me up." Yang said, sighing. "Here's hoping daddy didn't cut your card again, Weissy."

As everyone began filing out towards the landing pad, Ivan felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned, finding Winter standing behind him. "Ivan…" She began, her face steely and calm. "Can I talk with you?"

"Of course." Ivan said. He turned to the now-reunited Team RWBY. "Hey, I'll catch up!"

"Don't take too long!" Weiss called in response. "I don't think many restaurants would like having an armored SPARTAN asking to sit down and eat."

Ivan let out an amused sigh as he turned to Winter, who beckoned him to walk with her. As he walked, she tapped her fingers along her side, thinking of something to say. "Ivan… who are you?"

"What?" Ivan asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Who are you?" Winter asked again. "I mean, really."

"I'm not sure I understand." Ivan said, confused.

"You… You changed when you arrested Mercury." Winter explained, sighing. "You went from a relaxed, normal man to a cold, calculating, and brutal… machine."

Ivan sighed, running a hand through his short hair. "I… How much do you know about the SPARTAN Program?"

"Only that it yields some of the most effective soldiers that I've ever seen… You especially, given your record." Winter answered.

"Well…" Ivan thought, choosing his next words carefully. The UNSC had declassified almost everything about the SPARTAN Program, including the augmentations that they received; but Remnant was still, for the most part, disconnected from the Waypoint Network. "The SPARTAN Program is somewhat… controversial."

"Controversial? How so?" Winter.

"Generation II and III SPARTANs were conscripted from a rather… young age." Ivan explained.

"How young?"

"Younger than Ruby." Ivan responded, choosing to leave out the actual age of six or seven. "The age varied from person to person and between the Program's different generations."

"Well… huntsmen are trained at a young age." Winter said.

"Yes, but Huntsmen did it voluntarily." Ivan explained. "SPARTAN IIs and IIIs were conscripted based on their genetics and mental acuity. You had no choice. Either you became a SPARTAN, or you washed out."

"Washed out?" Winter asked.

"SPARTAN Recruits, for the SPARTAN II Program, were given highly experimental biological and genetic augmentations. Of the seventy five recruits, thirty three survived with little complications and more were disfigured beyond repair or reduced to a vegetative state."

Ivan could see Winter's eyes go wide. "Did this happen to you? Did you go through this process?"

"I went through something similar." Ivan affirmed. "But the augmentation process has close to a one hundred percent success rate now."

"What augments do you have?" Winter asked, looking the SPARTAN up and down.

"I have upwards of twenty actual augments, but only a few of them actually help me in combat, the rest are passive." Ivan explained. "My bones were infused with carbide-ceramics, making them tougher than titanium; my nerve endings had hyperconducting fiber laced into them, boosting my reaction time by a power of ten; my occipital capillaries were reversed and submerged in cranial blood, giving me near-perfect vision out to six kilometers; I received a muscle density-enhancing procedure that gives me the strength to, under proper circumstances, flip a Warthog with one hand; and finally… I had almost all of my organs, including my thyroid gland replaced. The thyroid implant essentially balanced all of the other augments, making it easier for them to work in unison. It's the reason I'm so tall… along with the bone-lengthening and joint reinforcement."

"Are there any side effects?" Winter asked.

"Not really, not anymore at least." Ivan explained. "Some people, this being an _incredibly_ small percentage of the Human population, are incompatible with some of the augmentations, but we can usually detect that before the process even starts. As for side effects that exist today… the worst I ever got was a feeling of nausea and vertigo after the process was done."

"H-How long ago was this?" Winter asked.

"I'm twenty now so… three years ago." Ivan explained.

"I can't imagine anything like that…" Winter said. "Most of those just come naturally to a Huntsman or Huntress."

Ivan nodded. "We never had the luxury of having a natural shield generator, superhuman strength and speed, or a Semblance." Ivan explained. "We had to make do with being average, then the Covenant showed up."

"I've heard some of your soldiers talk about that. Are they the same as Covenant Storm?"

"Not exactly…" Ivan explained. "Covenant Storm is just a thorn in the UEG's side. They're essentially just children throwing a temper tantrum when compared to us. The Covenant threatened the very existence of the Human Species. Their fleets usually outnumbered ours 5:1, their technology was well beyond what we had, and they had one goal… the extermination of Humanity."

"Why?" Winter asked. "Aren't you on good terms with most of the species now?"

"We are now, but they were fooled by the now-extinct San'Shyuum, or Prophets." Ivan explained. "We were an affront to their gods… we were less than animals to them. Twenty seven billion humans murdered over the course of thirty years, dozens of Garden Worlds reduced to balls of crystalized silicate, and trillions of Credits worth of damage done to Earth. Humanity hid in the shadow of a giant, hoping that we didn't get stomped out of existence, even after the war."

"What happened?" Winter asked. "I thought that the UNSC was the largest military power in the Galaxy."

"We became the Giant." Ivan explained. "What I'm trying to say is… after everything that Humanity's been through, I've come to take my job _very_ seriously. I took an oath to defend Humanity, and what Mercury did was an affront to everything the UNSC and UEG stands for. I enlisted in the UNSC looking to protect the species and the planets that we call home… I can still do that here, on Remnant. These Grimm have threatened you for almost four centuries, and you finally have a chance to stop fearing them. Mercury and his… kind don't want that." Ivan let out another sigh, thinking for a moment. "As for who I am… I'm just someone trying to do the right thing."

"And the bullets in his shoulders?" Winter asked, looking to the SPARTAN with a heavy concern in her eyes.

"I…" Ivan sighed. "Were you fighting a few months ago, against Storm?" He asked.

"I was, even if it was nothing compared to what Vale went through." Winter affirmed. "Atlas' walls held for the entire invasion. I know Vale wasn't so lucky."

"Would you say that they're a terrible enemy?" Ivan asked, earning a nod from Winter. "Well, the Program taught us to see people in three ways: as superiors, teammates, or enemies." As Winter kept full attention on his words, he continued. "If you're a superior, we follow you. If you're a teammate, we'd happily fight and die alongside you. And if you're an enemy… God help you."

"You saw Mercury as an enemy…" Winter managed, understanding dawning on her.

"I did…" Ivan nodded. "Having cooled down, I absolutely regret what I did to him. It was wrong. But… try to look at it from our perspective." Ivan looked over to Winter. "Mankind had two major enemies back when the SPARTAN-IV Program was created: Covenant Storm and the Insurrectionists. On one hand, you had a covenant of genocidal aliens that wanted nothing more than to destroy everything we've ever built. On the other, you have a group of terrorists known for setting off car bombs, targeting civilians, detonating dirty bombs in city centers, and torturing UNSC personnel. The Program doesn't exactly teach you mercy… it's not expected. The galaxy's a harsh and brutal place… so we're trained accordingly. What happened back there was my training taking over, plus a little bit of anger. If I could go back and do it differently, I definitely would. With that said, what I did back there was for my team."

Winter smiled, Ivan could tell that it was truly sincere. "I'm sorry if I was harsh… I just needed to know. You're a bit enigmatic." She looked over to him. "And I for one am very glad you're here, and I understand better than you might think."

Ivan smiled too. "Honestly… thanks for asking. It's nice having people treat me like I'm more than just the armor and the assignment." Ivan said, sighing. "We should probably catch up with them." Ivan said, gesturing to the looming image of Vale below them.

Winter smiled. "Probably a good idea… Weiss and her schedules."


	13. Chapter 13: Reclamation

**Chapter 13: Reclamation**

 **May 15, 2682; 0625 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon (Dormitories)**

Cinder sat on the edge of her bed, legs crossed. She seemed rather indifferent, the complete opposite of Emerald, who was fuming. "How could this happen?" Emerald asked. "How could they find out so quickly?"

"It's a minor setback." Cinder said, lazily flipping through her Scroll.

"Minor?!" Emerald questioned. "We lost Mercury and Neo! We don't even know where they are! The White Fang informants say that not a single precinct or prison in Vale has anyone named Mercury or anyone matching Neo's description!"

"Emerald…" Cinder said, sighing. "The plan can still proceed, it will simply take a bit longer."

"What about that SPARTAN?" Emerald asked. "We need him out of the picture!"

"And that's your current objective." Cinder said, grinning. "Make it happen."

XXXXX

 **May 15, 2682; 1003 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon**

Ivan stepped out of Professor Port's class, wrapping up the last final before the midday lunch break. He let out a sigh as he stepped out, shaking his head in disbelief. "Was it _that_ bad?" Someone asked, catching the SPARTAN's attention. He turned, finding Cinder to be standing next to him.

"You could tell?" Ivan asked, walking down the hallway.

"I had my suspicions." Cinder affirmed. "I still can't believe what happened with Mercury and Neo."

Ivan nodded. "Neither could I." He replied. "Something always rubbed me the wrong way about Mercury, but I thought that it was just his snarky attitude and rude demeanor."

Cinder nodded. "He wasn't known for his tactfulness. Where is he, by the way? Still on Ironwood's ship?"

"He was." Ivan responded. "But he was transferred last night to a UNSC Frigate's brig in orbit."

"Why orbit?"

"How successful do you think and orbital prison break would be?" Ivan asked, a slight smirk on his face. "Innies tried that just after the War… didn't go too well."

"Innies?" Cinder asked.

"Insurrectionists." Ivan responded. "Human revolutionaries that tried to take down the UEG before, during, and immediately after the Human-Covenant War. They had a fair bit of popular support in the Outer Colonies, but as their methods got increasingly barbaric and the UEG's laws got less and less strict, their support declined to the point where they're just history now."

"Oh." Cinder said. Internally, she had hoped that these "Insurrectionists" would help prove the UEG to be weaker than they say. Sadly for her, that was not the case. "Well either way, I'm glad that your team can still compete in the tournament."

As Ivan stepped into the cafeteria, he saw Yang wave him over. He grinned to himself, but was surprised at Cinder's next choice of words. "Would you mind if I sat with you?"

"Sure." Ivan responded. "Emerald gone or something?"

"No… I just feel that I should apologize to your team for what happened."

"That's unnecessary, but you're welcome to join us." Ivan answered. "By the way, sorry about ONI kicking down your door."

Cinder shrugged as she walked alongside Ivan. "They were just doing their job, they had good reason to suspect we were involved, I suppose."

Everyone seemed rather surprised to see Ivan sit down with Cinder next to him. Only Ruby had ever actually _met_ her, so he drew a few looks of confusion from both Team RWBY and Team JNPR. Yang had a jovial smile on her face. "So Ivan… care to tell us about your girlfriend?" She asked, drawing a cocked eyebrow from Cinder and Ivan alike.

"No…" Ivan said. "But I'd like to introduce you to my friend, Cinder." Ivan said.

"Hi!" Yang said, smiling.

Everyone went about greeting the newcomer brunette, who had a small smile on her face the entire time. "So, you're one of the exchange students from Haven?" Weiss asked, looking at Cinder's attire.

"I am." Cinder said, nodding. "I'm also… the leader of Mercury's team." Yang had a concerned look on her face, but Cinder silenced her prematurely. "And I'm here to apologize. I had no idea what Mercury was up to. If I did, believe me… it wouldn't have happened."

Yang seemed satisfied with the response, giving an approving nod. "So…" Ruby began. "How do you like Beacon."

Cinder gave a small grin in response. "This academy is very… well-equipped. I'm considering transferring here for the rest of my training."

"That's awesome!" Nora said, being boisterous as usual.

"Nora!" Ren said, looking up from his book and glaring at her.

Nora let out a small "Eep!" before turning back to studying with Ren.

"Speaking of studying…" Weiss said, reaching down and grabbing a textbook.

"Good idea." Ivan said.

XXXXX

 **May 20, 2682; 1200 Hours**

Ivan pulled his normal, civilian attire from his little corner of the closet, preparing to watch the final-final round of the Vytal Festival Tournament. Just as he prepared to start changing, he heard his Datapad's notification tone sound off. He tossed his clothing lazily against the bed, activating the small computer.

 _Colonel Chesnokov,_

 _My apologies for calling you into service again, but we've got another operation for Fireteam Omega. Report to the Rendezvous point just outside the main gates of Vale City, your team will be waiting for you with the mission briefing._

 _Godspeed,_

 _-Admiral Joseph A. Bishop_

Ivan sighed as he slotted the datapad back into his pocket. "Sorry guys…" Ivan said, drawing the attention of Team RWBY. "Looks like the UNSC needs me again."

"Aww!" Ruby complained. "But it's the last round!"

"I know…" Ivan said, grabbing his gel layer and miscellaneous equipment. "It should be a quick little operation, just like last time."

"Alright…" Ruby said. "Be careful."

"I will. Good luck, guys. Kick some ass for me." Ivan said, smiling as he gathered the last of his belongings and prepared to leave.

He took his normal route to the Firebase, gathered up his equipment, and decided to requisition a UNSC ground vehicle to make the trip out to the rendezvous point. He grabbed the keys to an unarmed Warthog, filled out the required paperwork, and set off. The drive was rather long and tedious, since Vale City was so massive. Much to the SPARTAN's surprise, the city was almost dead for a Saturday afternoon.

As he neared the exit of the city, which was under heavy guard from Atlesian Knights and UNSC Marines, he was stopped. One of the androids strolled over, scanning over the armored SPARTAN before speaking. "SPARTAN, what is your business here?"

"Orders from UNSC HIGHCOM. I have a mission outside the City." Ivan explained.

"Please provide Identification." The android commanded.

Ivan handed over a small magnetic card, which the android scanned over. It gave a curt nod as the card was handed back. "Very well. You are cleared for exit."

"Thanks." Ivan said, waiting for the Atlesian Knights to open the checkpoint gate. He proceeded through the checkpoint. He checked his satellite image map, seeing the RV point to be about four klicks outside the city. He proceeded with the drive, stopping right on top of the marker point. He deactivated the hydrogen engines and disembarked from the vehicle.

Ivan stood near the Warthog for well over twenty minutes, waiting in almost complete silence. The only sound that accompanied him was the sound of his armor's actuators whirring whenever he moved. Suddenly, the sound of movement from within the forest alerted him. "Fireteam Omega! Report!" Ivan said, assuming it to be his team. When nobody responded, he slowly drew his magnum, scanning the treeline with his augmented eyes. Suddenly, he heard a quiet _thunk_ against his armored chestplate, causing him to jolt slightly. He heard a series of quick, metallic clicks as something metallic met his armor. He attempted to look down, only to find his armor's joints to be locked up. His HUD flared red, showing "ARMOR LOCK MODULE ATTACHED" in bright white lettering.

His stomach dropped as he read the messages on his HUD. In an instant, twenty White Fang militia members slowly stepped out of the forest, aiming their weapons at the immobilized SPARTAN. Much to his surprise, he saw what appeared to be their leader step out after them. He was a tall Bull Faunus, clad in a black suit with a black trenchcoat. His spiky hair had dyed red tips, and he carried a long sword at his waist. "Get him in the back." Their leader commanded, pointing to the Warthog.

Ivan ground his teeth together as the White Fang slowly, and rather clumsily, lifted him into the back of the unarmed Warthog. He saw the Bull Faunus climb into the back, producing a small syringe from his pocket. He uncapped the small hypodermic needle, slotting it into the port on the back of the Gel Layer's neck and injecting the cool liquid into the SPARTAN's body. The last thing he heard as his vision faded was: "Get him back to the facility and out of his armor."

XXXXX

 **May 20, 2682; 1509 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vytal Festival Arena**

The entire stadium burst into cheers as Team RWBY stood victorious. The final round of the Vytal Festival was a very close one, stretching almost two hours past the scheduled end. Team RWBY had emerged victorious as the best Huntresses-in-training on all of Remnant. They all celebrated with a shared group hug as they cleared the stadium, making their way towards the locker room. They all quickly changed back into normal attire and set off back to Beacon.

Upon landing, the entire campus of Beacon, or so it seemed, stood at the landing pad, celebrating their victory in the Tournament. It wasn't until the sun had already set that they were finally able to make their way back into the dorm room. "We did it!" Ruby celebrated, jumping up and down excitedly.

As the four were celebrating their victory by relaxing in their beds, Blake snuggled up next to her personal space heater, being Yang; a few short knocks sounded off against the wooden door. Ruby excitedly jumped up and ran to answer it, surprised to find Winter standing behind the door. "Hey Winter!"

"Hello, Ruby." Winter said. "Congratulations on the win, everyone!" Winter said, stepping into the room. Weiss jumped onto her feet and found herself quickly wrapped in a hug by her older sister. "Very impressive use of summoning, Weiss." Winter complimented. "You all performed exceptionally well."

"Thank you, Winter!" Weiss said, beaming.

"Wait…" Winter said. "Where's Ivan?"

"He's off on a mission." Ruby said, sadly. "They called him in at the last minute again."

Winter nodded, solemnly. "Well, he's a very good fighter. I'd imagine that he'll be home in no time at all."

XXXXX

 **May 20, 2682; Time: Unknown**

 **Remnant, Unknown Location**

Ivan awoke slowly, his vision blurred. He blinked the blurriness away, finding himself strapped to a cold metal chair in a dark, damp room. The room was made of almost pure concrete with a white, almost sterile tile floor and a single light dangling from the ceiling. Suddenly, all confusion was washed away from his mind like a tidal wave, and all memories of what happened came flooding back to him. He looked down, finding that all of his armor had been removed. Only his insulated gel layer remained. He struggled against the metal restraints, angry to find that they were made of an incredibly strong alloy, likely either Dust-infused or Titanium-A. "Fuck…" Ivan muttered to himself, attempting to send out a signal with his Neural Implant. Upon doing so, he felt an immense amount of bio-feedback from the signal reverberating around the room. He quickly deactivated the transponder, choosing to spare himself the agony of listening to a constant high-pitched tone.

"Don't bother." Someone said from the now-open door. Ivan looked up, unsurprised to see the Bull Faunus standing over him, triumphantly. "You're six hundred meters underground. Nothing short of one of your fancy starship radios can get out of here." Ivan remained completely silent, simply glaring at him. "Don't give me that look, Human. You brought this on yourself. Even your fancy armor couldn't save you." The Faunus deployed his blade, dragging the Dust-augmented edge along Ivan's gel layer, cutting the sleeve open. He primed the blade with Dust, heating up the weapon to an unimaginable heat and pressed it against Ivan's exposed arm flesh.

Ivan winced and let out a hiss of pain through clenched teeth as superheated metals seared his flesh. As he pulled the metal off of his skin, the SPARTAN let out a pained sigh. "What is it you want, Intel? It'll take more than a little torture to get that out of a SPARTAN, sweetheart."

The Faunus punched Ivan across the face, disorienting the SPARTAN significantly. "I don't _need_ anything out of you. Sadly… this isn't my job, someone else can… take care of you from here." With that, the Faunus strolled out of the room, locking the heavy metallic door behind him. Ivan let out a pained sigh as he looked down at his still-smoking flesh, praying to God that someone… anyone could help him out of this.

XXXXX

 **May 21, 2682; 0740 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon (Team RWBY Dorm)**

Blake stirred slightly in her sleep, perfectly content to be wrapped up in the covers of a bed next to her personal Sun. She hummed happily as she nuzzled back into her resting place. She felt Yang stirring slightly next to her, along with a small kiss placed just between her ears. "Mornin', Kitty Cat!" Yang whispered, cheerily.

"Good morning." Blake affirmed, happily. Blake looked up, finding Ruby and Weiss to be in the process of waking up as well.

Ruby yawned. "Wait…" Ruby said, rubbing the sleepiness out of her eyes. "First year's over!" She said, happily.

"Indeed it is…" Weiss said, stretching. "Does that mean we can sleep in?"

Before Weiss could plop back down onto her pillow, a short series of knocks came from their door. "Apparently not…" Weiss complained, standing up to answer the door. As Weiss opened the door, she was surprised to find not Ivan, but three gentlemen in perfectly tailored suits, with the exact same pin that Agent Thorne had on his coat, that of ONI. She eventually realized that the one standing before her _was_ Agent Thorne.

"Miss Schnee, my apologies if I woke you, but it's urgent." Thorne said, his expression completely neutral and calm. "Do you mind if we come in?"

"Not at all." Weiss said, gesturing for the three men to enter. The trio of ONI agents stepped into the room, taking in the décor indifferently. The rest of Team RWBY looked around, incredibly surprised to find three agents of the mysterious ONI in their dorm. "How can we help you?"

"Would you happen to know where Colonel Chesnokov is?" Thorne asked, turning back around to face Weiss.

"I'd think you would know." Weiss said. "He was called to Firebase India yesterday."

"He was never called to Firebase India… as a matter of fact, he was never given any orders to report anywhere." Thorne said. "He requisitioned a civilian-grade M12 Warthog, his armor, standard weapons, and was last seen by Atlesian Military assets driving out of Vale City."

"If he was never given orders to leave, then where is he?" Blake asked, sitting up next to Yang.

"That's what we're tasked with figuring out." Thorne responded. "As of right now, all we have to go off of is this." Thorne produced a datapad from inside his coat, powering it up and handing it over to Weiss. The datapad showed a slightly distorted image of an M12 Force Application Vehicle, as well as an armored SPARTAN standing on the edge of the Emerald Forest. "That satellite image is the last known location of Operative Chesnokov, taken at exactly 1:23 P.M. on Saturday afternoon. He hasn't reported in since, and we've been led to believe that he has either gone AWOL or been captured."

"Those are two very different accusations." Yang said.

"They're the only two possibilities that exist." Thorne explained. "His Neural Implant's transponder isn't showing up on any sensor scans of the planet and he's completely dropped off the face of Remnant. I came to you looking for answers. We know it to be the White Fang, as there's no other possible candidates on Remnant for taking a SPARTAN prisoner, but I need to know where to start."

Blake sucked in a deep breath. "I… might have a place for you to start."

"Miss Belladonna… please elaborate." Thorne said. "I'm aware that you had previous affiliations with the White Fang, but according to Colonel Chesnokov's reports, you've severed all ties to the organization since they've gone militant."

Blake was floored by the ONI Agent's knowledge, but filed it away as him having read Ivan's reports. "Well… the White Fang has a few facilities here in Vale where they'd keep prisoners. I can name four off of the top of my head."

"Excellent. Forward all data to my datapad." Thorne said, handing Blake his datapad. She typed a few things into her scroll and connected the two devices, transferring coordinates and addresses. "Perfect." Thorne said, slotting the datapad back into his coat. "One more thing. I'm going to need your assistance in clearing these locations."

"Why us?" Ruby asked.

"Because most of my forces have little experience in fighting the White Fang." Thorne explained. "I'm creating four Strike Teams. One of them will be ONI Agents, one will be ODSTs, one will be SPARTAN Chesnokov's Fireteam Omega, and one would be Team RWBY, if you decide to help me."

"You can count us in." Ruby said, nodding.

"Excellent." Thorne said, smiling. "Report to Firebase India in one hour and the teams will insert from there."

XXXXX

 **May 21, 2682; 0815 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vale (Firebase India CENTCOM)**

Team RWBY walked through the halls of Firebase India, escorted by two SPARTAN IVs in stark white armor. They were led into the CIC, where Thorne, a Faunus ODST, and a female SPARTAN IV in armor similar to Ivan's waited for them. "Ah, Team RWBY, thank you for coming early." Thorne said, nodding. "Now… onto business." He pressed a few buttons on the table, causing a holographic projection of Vale City to appear. "Miss Belladonna was kind enough to provide us with the location of four White Fang bases within Vale itself, all of them potentially housing our missing SPARTAN. One is in the Residential District in an old apartment complex, one is in the Industrial District in an old automotive factory, one is in the commercial district, and one is in Downtown Vale."

As Thorne pointed out all four locations on the map, he highlighted four small green tokens on the table as well, all of them having different images on them. One represented each individual team. "The ODSTs will insert in the Commercial District from a Pelican. Omega will insert into the Industrial District, ONI will handle the Downtown location, and Team RWBY will handle the Residential outpost."

Everyone nodded in agreement, but the Faunus ODST spoke up, making his wolf-like canines appear between his lips as he spoke. "Do we have any intel on the resistance we might face?"

"Negative… we're going in blind." Thorne said. "We can't risk sending in Force Recon, not unless we want to clue them into our little operation and have them move him. Every team, however, will have a Force Recon Fireteam with them." Thorne sighed. "If the White Fang forces prove too great for any team to handle alone, ODST reinforcements are on standby for a Combat Drop from orbit. Any questions?"

Everyone shook their heads in the negative, allowing Thorne a small smile. "Excellent, everyone report to your designated Pelican for insertion."

XXXXX

 **May 21, 2682; 2031 Hours**

Team RWBY jumped out of the back of a Pelican dropship in the dead of night, Blake leading the way towards the White Fang complex. The dilapidated apartment complex that was their target could be seen from where they landed. The Pelican powered down, allowing ten Marines Force Recon operatives to file out behind the huntresses. The Huntresses and Marines funneled through the unoccupied back alleys of Vale City, slowly closing the distance between them and their target.

Nobody other than Blake had ever seen this side of Vale before. All of the buildings were run-down, made of older materials, and looked decades old. The rest of Vale was a sprawling metropolis, this was a destitute slum. "What is this place?" Yang asked, walking with Blake.

"A Slum District." Blake responded. "Mostly Faunus live out here."

The FORECON Squad Leader made a few hand motions to one of the Marines, who was carrying one of the UNSC's massive SRS99 Sniper Rifles. The Marine nodded in understanding, and began climbing a service ladder to the top of a building. The building itself was actually taller than their target, giving her a good line of sight. "Where exactly would he be being held?" The Squad Leader asked, directing his gaze towards Blake.

"The second or third floor." Blake responded. "The entire complex belongs to the White Fang though, and there are still civilians probably living here."

"Copy… All Marines, check fire. Civvies likely." The Squad Leader whispered into his helmet's communicator. Force Recon Marines were outfitted with upgraded variants of SPI Gen-2 armor which featured carbon-titanium alloy plating, Active Camouflage modules, and a mid-range shield generator. The Huntresses watched as the golden light of personal shielding technology shimmered into existence around the Marines, who then started creeping their way towards the three points of entry on the ground. Four Marines remained on the ground, while five of them fired a rappelling wire from their under-barrel attachments, which embedded themselves in the brick wall above the third floor. The Marines used their semi-powered exoskeletal armor to begin scaling the side of the building rather quickly, yet silently.

The Huntresses felt the communicators that Thorne had provided them crackle to life. "Team RWBY, the front entrance is yours. You'll have two Marines for fire support." The squad leader said, his voice distorted over the radio waves. "Prepare to enter on my mark."

Team RWBY made their way towards the front entrance, finding their two Marine companions pressed up against the side of the wall. The door itself was made of rather flimsy wood, and had a small window on either side. One of the Marines made motions for the Huntresses to stack up behind him. The Huntresses followed the gesture, coming to stand right behind the Marine. "Three…" The communicator sparked to life again. "Two…" The Huntress team and Marines all tensed their grips on their weapons. "One…" Everyone seemed to brace themselves to begin moving, the two Marines at the door nodding to each other. "Mark, begin operation."

At the Squad Leader's words, one of the Marines at the door with a M45 Tactical Shotgun moved in front of the door, sending a Force Multiplication Circuit-assisted kick into the frame. The door splintered under the powerful kick from the Marine, sending the wooden portal crashing into the building. The Marines and Huntresses funneled into the building, revealing a few stunned looking Faunus residents, who immediately ducked down once they saw two heavily armored Marines storm in, followed by four Huntresses. "Get down! UNSC Marines!" The shotgun-wielding Marine shouted, her voice amplified by her armor. "Yang, Blake, with me!" She shouted. "Ruby and Weiss, stick with him!" She gestured to the Marine with an SMG.

The two groups split up, one of them taking a staircase off to the right, and another taking a staircase off to the left. Yang and Blake's small group, upon making it up to the second floor, found themselves facing a few White Fang fighters that were slowly beginning to organize. The Marine quickly worked the pump on her shotgun, sending 8-gauge slugs into one of them as she ducked into cover. Yang sent a few rounds from Ember Celica, slamming into another White Fang soldier. Blake fired a few rounds from Gambol Shroud's pistol, dropping the last two Faunus.

As Blake and Yang continued down the hallway, spotting Ruby and Weiss on the other end, a door opened next to Blake. The distinct sound of a Pulse Rifle powering up could be heard. Blake quickly called upon her Semblance, causing her to flash away and leave a shadow clone where she had previously stood. A short burst of rifle fire later, and her clone's visage had disappeared, replaced by a stunned White Fang fighter. Yang sent a bone-crunching punch into his gut, knocking him back into the room. The two teams convened in the middle of the hallway after clearing all of the rooms.

After convening, the satisfying cracks of a sniper rifle firing sounded off from the nearby rooftop, followed by the sound of shattering glass and splintering bricks. More automatic gunfire could be heard from the upper floors, signaling the fact that the second team had inserted. "We need to move quickly." The Shotgun-wielder said, motioning for the rest of them to follow her.

They quickly ascended a staircase, finding there to be a relatively strong defensive position dug in on the second floor. The Marines began decoupling flashbang grenades from their armor, tossing them down the hallways and into rooms. The group of six split into three groups of two, all of them clearing a room individually. The two Marines stuck together, while the huntresses stuck with their partners.

Most of the rooms were empty, with the exception of a few White Fang fighters or a family. Yang felt terrible about kicking down the doors of innocent people, but she pushed those feelings down. In the final room that they cleared, Yang kicked down the door, as usual, and stepped inside along with Blake. She smelt an odor that nearly made her gag, what she saw _did_ make her gag. She saw two young Human girls, looking barely Ruby's age, locked in cage meant for a large dog. She also saw a White Fang fighter, missing his mask and weapon. He stared at the two Huntresses, throwing his hands into the air. The two girls looked at the Huntresses in a mix of awe and fear.

Yang moved to apprehend the White Fang fighter, while Blake ducked down to check on the two girls. Both of them had scarcely more than rags to cover themselves with, and looked like they barely had enough food to survive. "What's taking so long?" The Shotgun-wielder asked, walking into the room. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the two girls being helped by Blake. "Agent Thorne." She said, pressing a hand to her helmet. "Are you seeing this?"

"Copy." Thorne responded through their communicators. "Jesus Christ…"

"Orders?"

"Do what you will, Marine." Thorne said, cutting his end of the communication.

The Marine motioned for Yang to step aside, which she slowly did. The FORECON Marine walked over to the Faunus, her red eye-sized visors staring down at him. She brought a fist straight into his stomach, then knocked him on the temple with her armored gauntlet, knocking him out. "We'll come back and exfiltrate the civilians once we're done here." The Marine said, motioning for them to follow.

Blake and Yang followed behind the Marine, still shaking from the adrenaline of the fight and the sheer sight of the two girls locked away like animals. Yang could practically feel the anger in the Marine when she saw that, as her hand hovered mere inches above her magnum the entire time.

They quickly ascended the staircase to the third floor, finding a dozen dead White Fang, along with four Force Recon Marines that were searching the entire floor. "Anything?" The Squad Leader asked, looking to the shotgun-wielder.

"Negative, just captive human girls." She said, her voice oddly stoic.

The Squad Leader sighed. "Copy that… I'm calling for medevac and our ride. The ODSTs will take it from here."

After a few minutes, the sound of Pelican engines sounded off from the distance, closing the gap between them and the building quickly. The Marines waited on the third floor while the Pelicans closed in, followed by the sounds of bay doors opening. For a few minutes, automatic gunfire filled the halls of the apartment complex, eventually ending abruptly. Four ODSTs in black armor with red crosses descended the staircase, carrying medical equipment and stretchers. "Building's clear!" The leader of the medics reported. "Your evac's waiting for you on the roof."

XXXXX

 **June 8, 2682; Unknown Time**

 **Remnant, Unknown Location**

Ivan winced as he felt his right arm smashed by a long blade, cutting the skin to the bone, but stopping there. The Faunus tried to force his blade through Ivan's bone, unknowingly grating the metal blade against a substance that was stronger than the steel his blade was made of. Ivan ground his teeth together as the blade's surface heated up, searing his flesh and cauterizing the wound. Ivan sucked in a deep breath through his mouth, unable to breathe through his shattered nose. One of his eyes was irreparably damaged, removing his depth perception. A few of his teeth were missing, yanked out by the same Bull Faunus that was now attempting to sever his arm. His bare chest was covered in scars, both from his augmentation procedure and the time he had spent in White Fang custody. They never asked him questions, they only sought to make him hurt as much as possible. His weak Aura protected him for a time, but it could only protect him, and fix so much. Ivan tried to flex his fingers after the latest wound, disappointed to find that his arm was completely immovable.

Ivan's retinal implant was still operational… somewhat. He knew that he had been locked up for about two and a half weeks, and he also knew that almost every augment in his body was working tirelessly to keep him alive. Ivan hadn't even realized that the Faunus had left, replaced by Emerald. "How are you enjoying your stay?" She asked.

Ivan simply spit in her direction, saliva replaced almost completely by blood from his missing teeth. "That bad, huh?" Emerald asked, smiling. "I could just kill you…" She said, still smiling. "If you tell me where Mercury is, then I can just end it all right now."

Ivan panted for a moment, surprised at her request. "As per UNSC POW Protocol Omega Twenty-One, I am not authorized-" Ivan was silenced by the bladed grip of Emerald's plasma pistol slashing him across the cheek.

"Think about it a bit more." Emerald said, strolling out of the cell.

XXXXX

 **June 10, 2682; 2340 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon (Team RWBY Dorm)**

Ruby, Yang, Blake, and Weiss dejectedly stepped into their dorm room after another failed attempt to find their SPARTAN. They had been going non-stop for the past three weeks. "Ugh…" Yang said, angrily as she tossed her gauntlets onto the desk. "We've searched every base in this damn city and haven't found anything! All we know is that "he's being kept in good hands" by the White Fang _somewhere_!"

"How could this happen?!" Weiss said, sitting on the edge of her bed. "Even the Atlesian military doesn't know anything!"

"We've swept every single operable White Fang facility that I know of…" Blake said, sighing. "Could he really have gone AWOL?"

"Don't talk like that!" Ruby said, standing up from her chair. "He'd never do that!"

Ruby was interrupted when a series of knocks sounded against the door, prompting her to quickly flash over with her Semblance and open it. Behind the door was Winter. "Hello, Ruby." Winter had a grim smile on her face.

"Winter!" Weiss said, standing up. "Did the Specialists find anything?"

"Sadly… no." Winter said, walking inside. "We've swept through the entire city with our best, and the UNSC's best scanning equipment, no sign of the SPARTAN."

"Damnit…" Yang said.

"Blake…" Weiss said, choosing her words carefully. "Are you _sure_ that there isn't anywhere else in Vale where they could be keeping him?"

Blake sighed. "There _was_ this facility out… _way out_ in the Emerald Forest. It's been abandoned for years, though. Like, _decades_."

"Is it worth a shot?" Yang asked, looking to the Faunus.

Before Blake could respond, Ruby's scroll beeped, with "Thorne" flashing across the front of her screen. She quickly accepted the video call, finding Agent Thorne to be looking at her, a look of renewed vigor in him. "Ruby, I may have a lead on SPARTAN Chesnokov."

"Really?" Ruby asked happily.

"Yes… SADAR scans have detected Slipspace ruptures coming from the Emerald Forest. The UNSC has no active units out there."

"Where in the Emerald Forest?" Blake asked, peering over Ruby's shoulders.

"Six hundred meters underground, sixty kilometers out from Vale City." Thorne responded. "Sending satellite images now."

An image of a clearing in the middle of the Emerald Forest appeared. The clearing appeared manmade, as it was in a near-perfect circle. "That… That's the abandoned base's entrance." Blake said.

"Alright then…" Thorne said, nodding. "I'll prepare a full task force. If there's a Slipspace rupture down there, I'm assuming the worst. The White Fang are experimenting with Slipspace. I'll have a Pelican pick you up from Beacon. Specialist Schnee, you are welcome to join us."

XXXXX

 **June 10, 2682; Unknown Time**

 **Remnant, Unknown Location**

Emerald smiled as she looked down at the battered SPARTAN. "Don't worry, Ivan… your friends are in good hands." She said, strolling out again. As the door clamped down, locking, Ivan clenched his good hand into a fist, anger seeping out from every ounce of his being. After everything she's done to him… she's going to do the same to them. Ivan couldn't bear the thought of that happening. Energy seemed to course through him from somewhere, allowing him a few moments of resistance against his bondage to the chair. Some of the wounds on his operable arm reopened, causing blood to flow down his arm.

Ivan felt a strange… pins and needles sensation all across his body. He had felt it before, when he was on Reach near a Slipspace Testing Facility. He looked down at his hands, where most of the feeling was concentrated. He saw tendrils of purple-black-blue energy leaping across his hands. He had felt this feeling before, while arresting Mercury. He had just attributed it to being so, blindingly angry.

Much to Ivan's surprise, a small Slipspace rift opened up a few inches from his hand, allowing strangely shaped silverite metal to slip through and begin attaching itself to his hands, encasing them almost completely. As they attached, more and more of these plates started slipping into Real Space, attaching themselves to his body. He felt armored plates start attaching themselves to his back, neck, and skull. Larger plates attached to his chest and legs. He felt more of the metal shift into reality, encasing his head. A pair of orange visors covered either of his eyes, just large enough to not obstruct his vision, but completely protect him. A set of plates dug under his restraints, forcing them off and attaching to his body. He looked down, surprised to find himself encased in Forerunner Combat Skin.

Suddenly, a HUD flared to life, overriding his preexisting one. Strange Forerunner glyphs danced across his vision, eventually fading into plain English. "RECLAIMER IDENTIFIED, BEGINNING BIO-LINK PROCEDURE".

Ivan felt millions of small needles stab into his spine, causing him to wince in pain. He felt a strange liquid injected into him, followed by a feeling of body-wide cold. Just as quick as the sensation came, it vanished. Suddenly, he felt all of the pain he had been subject to over the past three weeks vanish in an instant, replaced by a feeling of… calm. "RECLAIMER CHESNOKOV, LINK COMPLETE". The HUD declared, showing his biometrics. Ivan was amazed that his destroyed arm was moving, and fully responsive.

Ivan scanned over the data on his HUD, surprised at the amount of information available to him. He was amazed at the rating of the Combat Skin… rating 18, one of the most advanced suits available to the Forerunners, "Hello, SPARTAN." An unknown feminine voice said, startling the SPARTAN greatly.

"Who is that?" Ivan asked, looking around the room. "Where are you?"

"I am a Forerunner Ancilla; designation: Soleia." The voice responded. "I am the Ancilla that is linked to this Combat Skin, I will assist you."

"You're an AI?" Ivan asked.

"Yes, I do fall under that umbrella term." Soleia responded. "I'm surprised… you managed to call upon your Combat Skin without the use of a more advanced Neural Lace." She seemed to think for a moment, eventually speaking up again. "Excellent… you've unlocked your 'Semblance' as your people call it."

"My Semblance did it?"

"Indeed… You have the power to manipulate the Slipstream." Soleia explained. "That is… if your genetics are any indication."

Ivan focused, allowing his Aura to flow freely, eventually culminating in the creation of a small Slipspace rift, from which a small pistol grip fell. As he grabbed it, it called forth more and more components, eventually forming a Light Rifle in his hands, which immediately linked into his armor's HUD. "Whoa…" Ivan said, inspecting the rifle.

"Excellent." Soleia responded. "Now… I believe that you will be needing to leave soon, yes? I can assist you with this. You are wearing the culmination of thousands of years of research. Your armor gives you strength unmatched by your kind's current Combat Skins."

Ivan flexed his fingers, forming a fist. "Anything else I should know?"

"You will have reinforcements." Soleia responded, almost happily. Within an instant, three human-sized Slipspace portals opened up, allowing one Promethean Soldier out per portal. Each of them looked very humanoid, but were made completely of Forerunner alloy, with blue accent lights as opposed to orange. Ivan recognized them from the numerous War Games simulations he had run. They were Promethean Soldiers… but they weren't hostile.

"Reclaimer… we are at your command." The Soldier Captain said, placing a metallic hand over its chest, bowing its head..

"Well then…" Ivan said, priming his Light Rifle. "Let's move." Ivan stepped over to the metal door, flexing his fist the entire time. He reared back, sending his fist towards the door. His armor punched clean through the metal, allowing him to rip backwards, tearing the rather thin metal out of the wall. Ivan primed his Light Rifle, raising it up to his shoulder, prepared to make these animals pay.


	14. Chapter 14: Awakening

**Chapter 14: Awakening**

 **June 11, 2682; 0031 Hours**

 **Remnant, 600 Meters Underground**

Ivan grabbed a White Fang fighter by the neck, crushing his windpipe with ease. The adrenaline that the suit was pumping into him was exhilarating, giving him energy he had never thought possible. He casually tossed the limp corpse aside as the three Promethean Soldiers funneled out of his cell behind him. The Forerunner constructs fell into formation behind the SPARTAN, allowing him to take the lead. "Kill any White Fang you see!" Ivan ordered. "Capture Emerald Sustrai and the Bull Faunus… they're mine."

"Yes, Reclaimer!" The Promethean Soldier Captain responded, leading his fellow androids down one direction. Ivan moved through the cramped, concrete hallways of the facility. An alarm had been blaring the entire time, only serving as a minor nuisance to the SPARTAN. As Ivan rounded the corner, he came face-to-face with a group of eight White Fang, all of them looking at him with fear.

"What is that?!" One asked, pointing his rifle at the massive suit of silver armor standing before him.

Before any of the Faunus could fire, Ivan charged forward, propelling himself with his armor's newfound strength. He slammed into the first Faunus before him with incredible force, sending the unprotected body slamming into a wall. He reached out with a spare hand, taking another Faunus as a shield, forcing his comrades to pepper him across the chest with Pulse Rifle rounds. Ivan tossed the limp body towards the remaining White Fang, sending two more to the floor. Ivan used his Light Rifle, sending hard light bolts through the torso of two more White Fang, quickly bashing another across the head with the metal rifle. He grabbed the final White Fang Fighter by the face, slamming the back of his head into the concrete, sending cracks spalling across the surface of the wall, accompanied by the sound of cracking bone. Before the two knocked-over Faunus could right themselves, Ivan quickly put a bolt of hard light into their heads, keeping them on the floor.

As Ivan continued walking, rather casually given the circumstance, he could make out the sounds of the Promethean Soldiers taunting the White Fang. "You ain't got shit!" One of them shouted, followed by a burst of Hard Light bolts. Before the SPARTAN could react, he saw the flash of a swinging blade fill his vision. Much to his surprise, and sense of humor, the blade simply shattered as his armor's shields flared into existence. Ivan looked to the Faunus, laughing audibly as he slotted a bolt of hard light into his head. Ivan let the body slump to the floor as he continued walking.

XXXXX

 **June 11, 2682; 0042 Hours**

 **Remnant, Emerald Forest**

Yang, Blake, Weiss, and Ruby sat in the back of a Pelican with Agent Thorne, Fireteam Omega, and a few ODSTs. "What can you tell me about this facility?" Thorne asked, looking to Blake.

"It's massive." Blake said. "Goes almost a kilometer underground, and the prisoners were usually housed in the dead center of the facility. The only way to get in is if it opens from the inside."

Thorne scoffed, reaching over to a communicator. "Captain Peters, please prepare a low-yield MAC Strike on these coordinates." Thorne said. "Thank you." Thorne tossed the communicator aside, turning back to the passenger deck. His cocky grin was amplified by the sound of something _large_ entering the atmosphere at high speeds, creating a sonic boom unlike anything the girls had ever heard. A few seconds later, they heard the sound of an impact in the distance. "We're in." Thorne said.

After a moment, the Pelican landed, allowing the rear door to open up. Team RWBY found themselves in the center of a massive hangar, with dozens of Bullhead VTOL aircraft. There were dozens of White Fang in the hanger as well, all of them turning to face the newcomers that had just blasted through their roof. If they had more time to closely inspect the 'hangar', they would have seen it to actually be an old decommissioned missile silo. The ODSTs and SPARTANs funneled out of the Pelican, firing their weapons at the unshielded White Fang. Four more Pelicans and two Phantoms descended through the hole in the ceiling, releasing twenty SPARTANs, forty ODSTs, and ten Marines. The two Phantoms released twenty Sangheili warriors each, all of them carrying an array of weapons. One commonality among all of the Sangheili was their Energy Swords clasped at their hips. All of them were Ultras.

The Marines, SPARTANs, and Huntresses cleared the hangar with ease, only one of the Marines experiencing any wounds. "Reinforcements are two minutes out." Thorne said, reloading his SMG. "Sweep the facility, weapons free!"

Team RWBY continued along with Agent Thorne and Fireteam Omega, working their way through the facility. What they found confused them rather greatly. They found that the White Fang seemed to be advancing _deeper_ into the facility, as opposed to meeting the UNSC attackers head-on. The numerically superior UNSC/Swords of Sangheilios forces continued pushing deeper and deeper into the facility, leaving fallen White Fang behind them, while Winter's Atlesian Specialist team moved in the opposite direction, sealing any exits.

XXXXX

 **June 11, 2682; 0053 Hours**

 **Remnant, 530 Meters Underground (Unknown Location)**

Ivan's fist crashed through a metal door, ripping it form the frame. He stepped through, finding two White Fang fighters, trying to hide from his onslaught. He had lost count of his kills, but his Promethean helpers were kind enough to constantly update his datalink with their kill counts. Surprisingly, the one with just a Bolt Pistol and Hard Light Blade had twelve more kills than the Soldier Captain.

The two Faunus before him appeared to be barely younger than him, and completely without any means to attack him. Ivan reached down, grabbing one by the neck and hoisting him up to stare into his eyes. "Emerald Sustrai and the Bull Faunus… where are they!?" Ivan asked, tensing his grip on the Faunus's neck.

"T-T-They left…" He responded. "They left before the alarms went off!" He said, trembling in the SPARTAN's iron grip.

"A shame." Ivan said, tossing him back down and priming his Light Rifle. He slotted two bolts of Hard Light through their heads. He turned to leave, walking towards the sounds of battle that were raging not far away.

As Ivan walked, he came upon a very defendable position being manned by White Fang. As he turned to face them, they opened fire with massive heavy machine guns. Ivan instinctively threw his arm up, surprised to find a blue Hard Light Shield deploy from his wrist. The rounds harmlessly bounced off, but his shield began to waver under the attack. He began walking towards them, causing the rounds to ricochet into the walls around him. As Ivan neared, he swung his arm out, causing the MG to flare upwards towards the ceiling. He used the opening to lower the shield, grab the gunner by the neck, and slam him into the ground. Ivan grabbed his Light Rifle, firing into the Faunus fighters with calculated and ruthless efficiency.

Ivan lowered his weapon back into a low-ready position, scanning the area as he walked. Much to his surprise, he began to make out the faint noise of automatic gunfire, the distinct rattling noise of MA5Es sounding off from somewhere above him. He quickly gathered himself, ordering the Prometheans to regroup with him, and set off again, searching for the sounds of gunfire.

XXXXX

 **June 11, 2682; 0100 Hours**

 **Remnant, 430 Meters Underground (Emerald Forest)**

Yang sent a powerful punch into the stomach of a White Fang fighter, knocking him out cold. Blake let her blade dance around, slicing through White Fang with ease. Weiss began moving forward with her sister, engaging the melee fighters that the White Fang sent against them. Ruby was hanging back, choosing to use Crescent Rose's sniper rifle mode to pick off the White Fang from a distance. Thorne and his forces were sticking to cover, occasionally returning fire whenever they had an opening.

After the short firefight, the team of Huntresses, Marines, and SPARTANs were able to start descending deeper into the facility. The Swords had gone off to another sector of the facility to comb it for any hostiles, and were reporting success across the board. As Ruby walked, she heard the distinct sound of someone taunting another fighter. "Ha ha!" A strange, almost metallic voice shouted. "Bring it this way, I got ammo for all of you!"

Ruby looked over to Thorne, who looked equally confused. After descending a short flight of stairs, all of the eyes went wide. They saw a collection of at least sixty White Fang, all of them torn apart by some sort of gunfire. There were small scorch marks on the wall, along with small, silverite cylinders on the ground. Thorne ducked down, picking up one of the strange metal canisters. He examined it, Ruby was able to make out a faint orange glow coming from it. "Forerunners?" Thorne asked, his words barely audible. "What the hell?"

"What?" Ruby asked, looking to the ONI Agent.

"Ancient aliens…" Thorne said, giving a brief description. "What's a Hard Light Power Cell doing here?"

As if to accent Thorne's confusion, another burst of familiar-sounding gunfire sounded off from their level. It carried the distinct noise of Hard Light weaponry, followed by the sounds of agony. Thorne nodded for everyone to follow, which they did obediently.

As they walked through the hallways, the Marines keeping their weapons in a ready position, they came across more groups of devastated White Fang, many of them simply killed by brute force. As the sound of Hard Light weapons fire drew closer, it suddenly stopped. As they slowly rounded the corner, Thorne, Team RWBY, Winter, and Fireteam Omega found themselves staring at three massively tall metallic constructs. They looked almost like Atlesian Knights, but much taller and made of an alloy which nobody, other than Thorne, had ever seen before. They had a blue underglow to their plates, along with blue, almost fire-like eyes, which stared at them intently. Suddenly, all three of the androids raised their weapons, aiming intently at the UNSC/Huntress forces. Before Thorne could give the order to fire, a strangely familiar voice sounded off from somewhere behind the three Prometheans. "Stand down!"

XXXXX

 **June 11, 2682; 0108 Hours**

 **Remnant, 413 Meters Underground**

Ivan walked behind the Prometheans, finding Team RWBY, Omega, Winter, and Thorne all looking at him. "Ruby?" Ivan asked, looking down at the redhead, as she was the first one he saw.

"What are you?" Ruby asked, looking at the massive visage of armor before her. It stood at almost nine feet tall and carried an incredibly advanced-looking weapon.

"Ruby… It's me." Ivan responded, lowering his weapon and attaching it to his back. "Stand down." He ordered to Prometheans again, this time they actually tossed their weapons back into Slipspace.

"Ivan?" Ruby asked, stepping forward.

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked, stepping up beside Ruby.

"I'm alright for now." Ivan responded. "I'm probably gonna need to get to a hospital after this is over."

"Why?" Yang asked, stepping forward with Blake. All of the Marines lowered their weapons. A moment later, a lance of Sangheili Ultras rounded the corner behind Thorne, all of them staring at the Forerunner Combat Skin in awe.

Ivan sent the order for his helmet to move to the back of his head, allowing his face to be revealed. Everyone's jaw practically hit the floor when they saw that his right eye was almost completely destroyed, along with most of his face. He had cuts all along his cheeks, forehead, neck, and nose. His nose was bent in two places, and he was missing a good portion of his hair. Ivan gave a wince as his armor's medical systems stopped dulling the pain. "And that's just my face." He let the helmet fall back over his face again, all of the tiny Forerunner Alloy plates locking back into their proper place. "The only reason that I can move my right arm is because of the armor. Almost all of the tendons and muscles are torn."

"Oh my god…" Blake said, her eyes filled with regret. "The White Fang did this?"

"They did, but Emerald ordered it." Ivan said, clenching his fist in anger. As he did, the familiar black energy materialized around his fist. He let out a sigh, allowing the energy to dissipate into nothingness.

"What was that?" Winter asked. "Was that your Semblance?"

"Indeed it was." Ivan responded. "I can manipulate Slipspace itself. That's how I got the armor."

"Wait…" Thorne said. "You called Forerunner armor into Real Space?"

"Yes I did… with a bit of help."

"How?" Thorne asked.

"A Forerunner Ancilla named Soleia." Ivan responded. "She, apparently, helped the armor find me. She's been pretty silent ever since, though."

"Only because you seemed more intent on finding this 'Emerald' girl." Soleia responded, manifesting herself from a Hard Light projector on Ivan's helmet. She had the appearance of a human woman in her late twenties with long black hair, blue eyes, and very pale skin. Were it not for the eyes, Ivan could've mistaken her for Blake.

"Whoa…" Thorne managed. "An actual, stable Forerunner AI…"

"In the Hard Light." Soleia joked, gesturing to herself. "And to answer your question more in-depth; Reclaimer Chesnokov has a very… special genetic code." Soleia looked to the SPARTAN. "You carry the genetic imprint of Forerunner Admiral Echo of Wandering Stars. This armor was always around you, I simply assisted it in forming to your body."

Thorne's jaw nearly hit the floor. "A SPARTAN carries the genetic imprint of an ancient Forerunner?"

"Many humans carry an Imprint." Soleia responded, matter-of-factly.

"I think Soleia can give you a history lesson later." Ivan said. "For now, I'd like to finish up here."

"Negative, SPARTAN." Thorne said, composing himself again. "You're going to Firebase India for medical treatment. But… you can go to Beacon first, if you'd like."

"Why?" Ivan asked.

"You said Emerald ordered this?" Thorne asked, smiling slightly.

Ivan grinned beneath his helmet, nodding.

XXXXX

 **June 11, 2682; 0205 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon (Dormitories)**

Cinder sat in her chair, lazily reading through a few news reports. Emerald was sitting on the edge of her bed, much happier than usual. "You seem excited for something." Cinder commented, not looking up from her Scroll.

"I just can't believe how easy it was to capture that SPARTAN." Emerald said, happily.

"Oh… you had the White Fang use an infallible Armor Lock on the suit of armor that it was designed to lock." Cinder said, jokingly. "You must be so proud."

Before Emerald could form a decent comeback, she heard a few knocks on the door. She stood up to answer it at Cinder's request. As she neared the door, she opened it up. What she saw stunned her. She saw a massive, nine foot tall suit of silver armor glaring down at her, orange visors seeming to glare into her very soul. Its image sent chills down her spine. After a second of staring at it, it suddenly sent an armored gauntlet into her chest, sending her slamming into the back wall. The armor stepped inside, prompting Cinder to stand up from her chair.

Before Cinder could act, two strange portals opened above her, allowing two androids to fall out and prime strange weapons. They pointed their weapons at her, one of them speaking up. "Stand down!" One of them shouted. Cinder attempted to rear back an attack, but halted when she felt a third one grab onto her arm and restrain her in an iron grip.

Cinder saw the massive suit of armor stroll over to Emerald, deliberately allowing her to stand. Emerald drew one of her plasma pistols, firing into the armor's chest. The green bolt of plasma simply splashed against the armor's golden shields, eliciting a spine-chilling laugh from whatever was inside. The armor reached over, grabbing the pistol in Emerald's grip, crushing the metal weapon with ease. It tossed the pistol aside, grabbing her by the neck and hoisting her up to its eye level. "Tell me, Miss Sustrai…" A strangely familiar voice began, followed by the sight of plates shifting from the armor's faceplate towards the back of the helmet. "Does this look familiar?"

Emerald stood paralyzed in fear as she looked at the destroyed face of Ivan, his mouth twisted in rage. "H-how?" She asked.

Ivan didn't even dignify her existence with a response, simply sending his armored fist into Emerald's face, the sheer force of the blow knocking her out cold, and nearly shattering her nose, orbital bone, and jaw. He tossed her limp body aside like a rag doll, motioning for the Prometheans to restrain her.

Ivan turned around, glaring daggers at Cinder through his one good eye. Cinder winced as she saw the damage done to the SPARTAN. "Stand down!" Ivan shouted to the Prometheans, prompting them to step back and release Cinder. He looked back to the brunette before him. "What do you know about this?" Ivan said, gesturing to his face, then to Emerald, who was still sprawled out on the floor.

"W-what do you mean?" Cinder asked, wavering slightly under the SPARTAN's glare.

"About her capturing me." Ivan said through clenched teeth. A black energy manifested around the armored SPARTAN, its existence sending a prickling sensation across Cinder's nerves.

"I didn't know anything until now!" Cinder defended. "She said that you were on a mission."

"I was… but I was set up!" Ivan said. "The White Fang captured me, then tortured me for three fucking weeks! She ordered this!" He shouted, a strange-looking weapon suddenly forming in his right hand as he brought it to her chin. "If you know something…"

"I didn't know anything!" Cinder defended, more sure of herself. Ivan deflated slightly, his expression turning… less enraged.

"Fine…" Ivan said, standing upright again, calling the plates back into their proper place on his face. "You two, escort her back to the UNSC CENTCOM facility." He said, turning to the Prometheans, which nodded and stepped behind Cinder, both of them keeping their weapons readied. The Promethean Captain walked over to Emerald's body, grabbing her and carrying her over its shoulder. "If you do not follow these Prometheans back to CENTCOM, or if you fight them, I will personally hunt you down and finish what I started with Emerald!" He thumbed a gesture over to Emerald, who was now being carried on the shoulder of the Promethean.

As Ivan turned to leave, he found there to be a rather sizable crowd of students and instructors alike staring at him, amazed and slightly frightened. "Where are you going?" Cinder asked, drawing the SPARTAN's attention.

"To get my fucking face fixed."

XXXXX

 **June 11, 2682; 1905 Hours**

 **Remnant, Firebase India (Infirmary)**

Ivan rested against the bed he had been given in Firebase India's medical center, wincing slightly as the flesh on his face was fixed by a robotic arm. His depth perception had returned after having a cybernetic eye replace his organic one. He also had his arm replaced with a cybernetic one, as too much time had passed between the wounds and the procedure for Flash Cloning to be possible. His Forerunner armor, much to ONI's displeasure, was deemed his property once it was discovered that it was linked to his genetics and could only be operated by him. He had his suit of MJOLNIR recovered from the White Fang facility, which was currently being swept and secured by UNSC Marines and Sangheili forces. Many of the smaller scars had been healed by his Aura, as well.

Once the robotic arms were done fiddling with his face, he sat upright and looked in a mirror. His right eye appeared to be much brighter than is left, and the black metal of his right arm appeared quite out of place on his body. His face was almost completely healed otherwise, which was a plus. He was surprised to find Cinder step into his room, prompting him to turn around. "You look much better." Cinder said, giving a weak smile.

"I feel much better." Ivan responded. Ivan paused for a moment, thinking of his next words. "I'm sorry about what happened."

"Why?"

"I literally punched Emerald's nose through her head right in front of you, a few students, and a few instructors." Ivan responded. "Not to mention threatening you…"

"It was completely warranted." Cinder responded, sitting on the edge of his bed. "I still can't believe that she hid this from me…"

"It's not your fault." Ivan responded, sitting down next to Cinder.

"So… what was that armor you were wearing?" Cinder asked. "And that energy… was it your Semblance?"

"Classified." Ivan responded, calling his gauntlet from the depths of Slipspace. "And I'm still trying to figure out how to use my Semblance in its entirety, and calling in the armor fully is extremely exhausting."

"I'm not sure I understand… what exactly is your semblance?" Cinder asked.

"You know how the UNSC travels through space right? With Slipspace?" Cinder nodded in response. "My Semblance apparently lets me directly influence Slipspace. I can throw things into the Slipstream, pull things out, or move things in Real Space by using Slipspace, since it's a parallel dimension."

"That's… amazing." Cinder commented.

"It is…" Ivan responded, allowing the tendrils of black energy to dance across his fingertips, the small tentacles of pure Slipspace energy lapping hungrily outwards. He clenched his fist, silencing the energy of his Semblance. "Sorry, again." Ivan said.

"For what?"

"For the UNSC kicking down your dorm's door twice in a month, only to kick the shit out of your former teammates." Ivan said, eliciting a laugh from Cinder.

"Don't worry." Cinder said, smiling. "If I were in your position, I probably would've killed Emerald. Speaking of which… why didn't you?"

"I'm kinda ashamed to say that I _really_ wanted to." Ivan confessed. "I wanted nothing more than to crush her like a bug… but I couldn't bring myself to do it."

"Why?"

"Everyone can be forgiven." Ivan responded. "As good as it would've felt at first to kill her, I…honestly wouldn't be able to live with myself if I just killed her in cold blood."

"I'm… surprised." Cinder said. "Most people don't have the restraint to do what you did."

"Thanks…" Ivan said, smiling.

"And I find the arm… suits you well." Cinder said, gesturing to Ivan's metallic arm, which he unconsciously flexed and relaxed.

"It's not too bad." Ivan said, shrugging. "Now… would you like to accompany me back to Beacon?"

"I would love to." Cinder said. "After all, someone needs to make sure you don't get yourself into trouble again."

Ivan scoffed, letting a slight grin cross his face. As he stood up and left, he was surprised to find all of Team RWBY standing in the middle of Firebase India's courtyard. "Hey, Ivan!" Ruby said, happily.

"Hey guys." Ivan said, waving awkwardly. "What's up?"

"You look much better." Weiss commented. "Don't know how I feel about the robot arm."

Ivan shrugged. "It's not so bad."

"Apparently, Weiss's father is putting together a party to celebrate us winning the tournament!" Ruby said, giddily. "If you're feeling up to it, that is…"

"Well, that should be fun." Ivan said, nodding. "Where's it gonna be?"

"Right here in Vale." Weiss explained. "My father owns a few estates across Remnant, and the one in Vale is perfect for the occasion, so he decided to host it there. It'll be in two days."

"I'm certainly looking forward to it." Thorne said, stepping over. He had a few minor burns on his neck from the White Fang raid, along with a large collection of visible patchwork in his suit. "I also have something to share with you, Mister Chesnokov, but it can wait until later. I'll send you the information over Waypoint." Thorne regarded Cinder for a moment, scanning her up-and-down before speaking to her directly. "My apologies for the… rude introduction, ma'am." Thorne said, doing his best to force a diplomatic tone.

"Cinder." She responded.

"Well, my apologies, Cinder." Thorne said, a very… political smile on his face. "I certainly hope that you are not affiliated with Emerald and Mercury in their little… dealings." If Cinder was at all shaken by Thorne's not-so-vague threat, she didn't show it. "But the interrogations and investigations have produced no connections to them, so I'll trust that you're not my enemy."

"Thank you, Mister Thorne." Cinder responded. "Might I ask… where is Emerald?"

"Awaiting trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity." Thorne responded. "She's currently being transferred to Reach for a trial before a UNSC Admiralty Board."

"To Reach?" Blake asked. "Why isn't she being held here on Remnant."

"Too close in proximity to potential connections." Thorne responded. "ONI has taken all possible precautions with detained huntsmen or huntresses."

"As much as I enjoy discussing this…" Ivan said. "You wanted to tell me something, sir?"

"If you want to hear about it now…" Thorne began, shrugging. "HIGHCOM wants you back on Earth for a psychiatric evaluation." Thorne explained. "Standard procedure for all active duty personnel who were former prisoners of war, as you know. I have no doubt that you're perfectly capable of serving, SPARTAN, but The Brass wants to make sure."

"Ivan has to leave again?" Ruby complained.

"Only for about two weeks, this time." Thorne explained. "And the President has taken his return to Earth as a bit of an opportunity…"

"What do you mean?" Blake asked.

"He wants to personally meet with the Huntresses that were responsible for saving a SPARTAN. Think of it as a way to fully bring Remnant into the fold of the UEG."

"What are you saying?" Yang asked.

"I'm simply explaining that the President is a rather busy man, a man who doesn't have the time to leave Earth for extended periods of time." Thorne said, smiling slightly.

"Are you saying… we're going to Earth?" Weiss asked.

"Indeed I am." Thorne said, nodding. "You all, along with some of Remnant's leadership."

"When are we going?" Ruby asked.

"Well, it was planned for you all to leave Remnant in two days, but it would seem Mister Schnee has thrown a bit of a wrench into that machine. I'll postpone it until next week. Until then… try not to get into too much trouble."


	15. Chapter 15: The Party

**Chapter 15: The Party**

 **June 13, 2682; 0700 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon (Team RWBY Dorm)**

Ivan let out a soft sigh as he stood in the small dorm room that he had come to call home. Weiss continued to pound on the bathroom door, shouting at Yang. "Yang Xiao Long! We're already twenty minutes behind schedule!" Weiss seemed to give up after not getting a response. "How do you deal with her?" Weiss asked, directing her question towards Blake. Weiss had exchanged her pure white dress for a white-black dress.

"I usually don't." Blake responded, smiling slightly. Blake had exchanged her normal attire for something a bit more… relaxed. She wore a pair of black jeans, a simple red shirt, and had her hair down, as usual. "I've just come to expect her to take _way_ too long to get ready, with that massive head of hair of hers, anyways."

"I can't rush something like this!" Yang defended as she stepped out of the bathroom. At Weiss's request, Yang had covered herself a bit more than usual. She wore a white jacket, white jeans, and her normal yellow t-shirt. She had her hair in its familiar, unruly state.

"Good Lord, Xiao Long…" Weiss complained. "Literally everybody was ready before you!"

"And Ivan had to use JNPR's bathroom to change." Ruby said from the edge of her bed. She wore her more informal dress, but excluded her stockings.

"I didn't really mind." Ivan said. Ivan wore a pair of gray slacks, black shirt, and a black leather jacket. His cybernetic arm and cybernetic eye, to the huntresses before him, made him look like a protagonist from a sci-fi movie.

"Are we all finally ready?" Weiss asked, eliciting a nod from her teammates. "Wonderful!"

Weiss led the way out of the room, through the campus, and towards the Airship landing pad. Winter stood there, waiting. "What took you all so long?" Winter asked. She wore her normal Atlesian Specialist uniform with her hair tired back in a bun.

"Blame Yang." Weiss said.

"Taming this hair is an art." Yang said, stepping on board the airship.

Ivan sighed, shaking his head slightly as he gave Winter a small smile. "How do you put up with all four of them?" Winter asked once everyone else had stepped on board. "They should all hate each other."

"Honestly… I have no idea." Ivan said, stepping on board. "No idea how they all get along, either. They made it work, though."

The ride aboard the airship was incredibly short, as they only had to be at the Vale City Air Station for their pickup. They all disembarked once the airship landed in Vale, finding more than a few other students from Beacon walking around. Weiss led the way towards a rather large limousine, where a well-dressed chauffer stood. "A limo?" Yang asked.

"We are Schnees, after all." Weiss said, stepping inside.

Once everyone was inside, the chauffer spoke up. "The drive will take about two hours, so feel free to make yourselves comfortable. It's a pleasure to see you again, Miss Winter."

Winter gave the man a smile, nodding. The inside of the vehicle was rather opulent, going so far as to have a small bar. "Damn…" Ivan commented, picking up a bottle of scotch. "I think your father imported this one from Earth."

"It wouldn't surprise me." Weiss said. "He has a rather large collection."

"Have you ever had that, sir?" The chauffer asked, starting the vehicle.

"Can't say I have." Ivan responded. "I don't drink."

"Why not?" Yang asked.

"No real point." Ivan explained. "My pancreatic implant and other augments make it impossible for me to get drunk. All that alcohol winds up doing is making my throat sore; my body just metabolizes the alcohol too quickly for it to affect me."

"So Ivan…" Winter began, looking to the SPARTAN. "I meant to ask, how have you been ever since…"

"I've been fine." Ivan responded, quickly. "Recovery's going well… I've just got to get used to having a metal arm and eye."

"Good to hear." Winter responded. "I wasn't sure what to think when I heard that you'd been captured."

"Well, it's all good now, and I got my Semblance out of it." Ivan responded, opening a small rift in Slipspace for a mere moment, and then closing it.

The remainder of the ride was filled mostly by small-talk and jovial conversation between the team members. The vehicle slowly made its way towards the northwestern end of Vale, which quickly became more and more cliff-side beaches and open ocean, rather than forests and grasslands.

After a few minutes of Oceanside road, a rather large, mansion in post-modern design philosophy came into view. It was painted almost completely white with large glass windows, a tall stone fence, and a rather sizable fountain in the middle of the courtyard. The gate opened, allowing the vehicle inside.

There were at least ten other, quite expensive, vehicles resting in a large roundabout that surrounded the fountain. There were people standing around outside, as well as people making their way inside. More than a few of them were wearing business casual attire; some were wearing full ensembles of three-piece suits. "I feel fantastically underdressed." Ivan commented.

"Father said that this was going to be casual." Weiss complained. "I'm not sure what's going on."

Winter chuckled. "Weiss… casual for us is very different from casual for these people." Weiss simply sighed.

As the chauffer opened up the doors of the limousine, allowing the occupants to step out, a rather tall man with white hair and bright blue eyes stepped out of the mansion, a rather stunning woman with white hair and blue eyes at his side. He was wearing a tucked-in dress shirt, along with a pair of slacks. She wore a knee-length white dress, adorned with the occasional spiked snowflake.

Ivan was among the last to step out, with Ruby just behind him. The pair from the mansion strolled over, smiling broadly as they saw the group standing about the walkway. "Winter, Weiss… it's great to see you two, again." The man said, pulling the two into a hug.

"It's good to see you too, Father." Weiss said, smiling slightly.

Mister Schnee removed himself, allowing his wife to greet their daughters. He made his way over to the others, smiling. "It's a pleasure to finally meet all of you, I'm sure you already know, but I'm Jacques Schnee, and this is my wife, Viktoria." Schnee made a conscious effort to greet everyone personally, finishing with Ivan. "And you must be SPARTAN Chesnokov, hero of the Battle of Vale. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"A pleasure to meet you as well, sir." Ivan said, shaking Schnee's hand with his own cybernetic one.

"I'm so glad that you could all come." Schnee began. "After that incredible show at the Tournament, I felt it was only proper to congratulate my daughter and her team in person."

"Thank you for the invitation." Blake said. Ivan could tell rather clearly, after spending nearly a full year with Blake, that she was quite uncomfortable being here. This was no doubt due to what was underneath the bow.

"Thank you all for coming." Schnee said, smiling again. "Feel free to make yourself at home." He turned to Ivan. "And Mister Chesnokov, would you mind if we spoke privately for a few moments?"

"Not at all." Ivan said, following behind the older gentleman as the rest of Team RWBY made their way towards Weiss and Winter.

Schnee led the SPARTAN into a small garden on the side of the estate, which had a rather breathtaking view of the ocean. "Mister Chesnokov… allow me to start by saying that I am incredibly empathetic towards you, given what happened."

"What do you mean?" Ivan asked, involuntarily flexing his cybernetic hand.

"Weiss… that scar on her eye was from a group of White Fang that attacked our home in Atlas." Schnee explained. "She's had to live with that scar, and I've had to live with the memory of almost losing her to those savages. I can't imagine what you must have gone through."

"I appreciate that, sir." Ivan said.

"Honestly… these Faunus seem very intent on proving that they are indeed little more than bipedal animals." Schnee said, venom practically dripping from his words.

"Well, the White Fang represents a very small minority in the Faunus population." Ivan said. "I've met quite a few Faunus ever since I arrived here on Remnant, and most of them have done right by me."

"They took your arm." Schnee said.

"True, but you can't judge an entire species from one group." Ivan retorted. "In the grand scheme of things… the White Fang is barely a blip on the radar, and popular support for them is waning constantly."

Schnee sighed. "Enough about that… I've heard that the UNSC is bringing your team, General Ironwood, and my daughters to Earth. I'm sure you can imagine what that means for me?"

"More business?" Ivan asked.

"Exactly." Schnee responded. "I know that there's a few massive companies in the UEG that would love to get their hands on Dust. I was wondering if you could bring one of my representatives with you?"

"It's not my call, but I don't see why not. Remnant is just as much a part of the UNSC as Earth or Reach. If not now, then you'll definitely be able to open up a discussion with our military contractors once the Vale Tether is finished."

"Thank you, SPARTAN." Schnee said, extending his hand for Ivan to shake, which he did. "I appreciate everything you've done for Remnant."

"Thank you, sir." Ivan said, nodding.

XXXXX

 **June 13, 2682; 1150 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vale (Schnee Estate)**

Blake walked around the large Schnee estate, Yang by her side. After the first few young men attempting to come onto Yang, Blake had gotten much more defensive. Yang almost fell over laughing when she saw Blake stiffen up as a Vacuo boy walked up to her, only to be turned away by Blake locking her arm with Yang's, then shooting him a death glare.

"Someone's jealous, huh Blakey?" Yang asked, planting a quick kiss on Blake's cheek.

"No…" Blake said, earning a cocked eyebrow and a knowing look from Yang. "Okay… maybe a little."

Yang laughed, pulling Blake closer as they walked, heading for the dining room. "How do you think I felt watching Sun hit on you?"

Blake blushed, remembering the time when Sun hit on her a few weeks ago… right in front of Yang. Blake had seen Yang angry, she had never seen her _jealous_ angry.

Blake watched her rather boisterous blonde girlfriend sit down at the table, as Schnee had called everyone in to eat. Thankfully, there were only about twenty people altogether. Blake watched as Weiss and Ruby sat next to each other, Weiss flanked on her left by her father. Ivan chose to sit with Winter, who was flanked on her right by her mother. To say that she was uncomfortable was a massive understatement. The only other Faunus in the entire estate was the hired help, and she could tell that they weren't being treated exceptionally well.

Blake was rather unsurprised to find that she was the only one, other than the rest of her team, to thank the Wolf Faunus that laid a glass of water next to her. Everyone around her seemed far too engrossed in their conversations to pay any mind to the Faunus. Blake decided to start people-watching, something she had gotten rather good at.

Yang, naturally, simply sat there with her Faunus girlfriend, her fingers lazily drawing patters on the top of Blake's leg. Ivan seemed to be having a pleasant conversation with Winter, who seemed to be laughing quietly at almost everything he said. Blake made sure to make a mental note of that. Ruby seemed to be trying her hardest, and succeeding rather well, to not make a fool of herself in front of the rather opulent crowd. Weiss was being questioned by her father about her time at Beacon. Blake quietly picked at her food, which was quite good, as the conversations around her continued. She didn't necessarily listen to any of them, simply choosing to scan over them.

What truly grabbed her attention was a question that was directed towards Ivan, from some unnamed individual that Blake had seen talking with Mister Schnee. "So, Mister Chesnokov… how have you been enjoying things so far?"

"No complaints from my end." Ivan said, setting down his glass of water. Everyone seemed rather surprised that he had chosen to drink water, rather than the expensive champagne that the Schnees had provided. "I'd imagine that the girls would be better candidates for that question, this is their day after all."

"Ah, but you had an instrumental part in making sure that they could still compete." Schnee mentioned. "Were it not for you, that Mercury would have gotten your team disqualified from the Tournament."

"Fair enough." Ivan responded with a nonchalant shrug.

"I still find it rather hard to believe that those animals in the White Fang tried to destroy something as sacred as the Vytal Festival Tournament." The same unnamed Schnee family friend said, causing Blake to cringe slightly. "Those Faunus are barely more than animals, plain and simple." Blake watched as one of the Faunus help ducked their head down, attempting to hide her face. Blake could see a slight flicker of disgust behind Ivan's eyes, just for a moment.

"I find it hard to believe that a _person_ who is capable of independent, creative thought is 'little more than an animal'." Ivan said, casually taking a sip from his glass. "I find it especially hard to believe that these fine people here…" Ivan gestured towards the Wolf Faunus girl with his spare hand. "Especially enjoy being called animals as if they weren't even here." The entire table fell silent, everyone turning to look at the rather casual SPARTAN. Blake was silently cheering him on, and wouldn't be surprised if the Faunus in the room were too. "But you'll pardon me if these are simply opinions coming from an outsider."

"You support the White Fang?" The same man asked in disbelief, looking to the SPARTAN.

"I do not." Ivan responded, placing his glass on the table. "I don't very well appreciate you putting words in my mouth. I despise the White Fang, they're just as idiotic as blind Human Supremacists. I _do not_ blindly hate all Faunus simply because of the actions of a very… vocal minority within a very large population."

"That's certainly rather interesting coming from a man who's probably killed more Faunus than any 'Human Supremacist' out there." At those whispered words, Blake spotted small cracks start webbing their way across Ivan's glass. The glass eventually shattered in the palm of his cybernetic hand, sending fine pieces of glass all across his little section of the table, eliciting gasps from more than a few people at the table. Blake's eyes widened as she saw just how unbelievably angry the SPARTAN was, seeing small black tendrils dance across the tips of his fingers. He quickly quelled his Semblance, turning to glare daggers at the man.

"Just what was I meant to do?" Ivan asked, his voice bordering on a shout. "Let the White Fang to burn Vale City to the ground? Let them start manufacturing Paladins in the middle of Vale? Let them take off my other arm!? Maybe I should have let them steal millions of Lien's worth of Dust from Mister Schnee? Maybe, what you don't realize, is that the UNSC doesn't do what we do out of spite, or hatred, or fear… we do it out of necessity. If I had it my way, there wouldn't need to be SPARTANs! Instead, it's people like you that legitimize the White Fang and make _my_ job even harder." Ivan pointed directly at the man that had steered the conversation in a terrible direction. "If it weren't for people like you, I wouldn't need to look into the glazed-over eyes of a dying _person_ who felt that the only way they could secure their own equality, was through violence!"

Ivan took a deep breath, his organic hand shaking slightly. "Excuse me." He said, standing up and removing the napkin from his lap, placing it haphazardly on the table. Blake watched in amazement as the SPARTAN walked, surprisingly calmly, towards the front door to the Estate. Winter stood up from her seat, following after Ivan after she had shaken herself out of her amazement-induced stupor. The man sat there in stunned silence, Schnee finally breaking the minutes-long pause in conversation. "Well… I believe that lunch is concluded."

XXXXX

 **June 13, 2682; 1225 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vale (Schnee Estate)**

Ivan descended the short series of steps from the Estate, working to control his emotionally-induced Semblance. He let out a heavy sigh as he leaned against a pillar, pinching the bridge of his nose. His muscles tensed slightly as he felt a hand on his metallic shoulder, drawing him back into reality. He was rather surprised to find Winter's hand on his shoulder, giving him a concerned and empathetic look. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah…" Ivan said, taking a deep breath. "I'm fine. I should really start learning to control my big mouth."

Winter gave a small smile. "If it's any consolation, I think you were absolutely right."

Ivan chuckled. "Thanks… I still feel like a _huge_ piece of shit though."

"Why?"

"I only ruined the party that they were meant to enjoy." Ivan said, making reference to Team RWBY.

"I don't think you ruined it any more than them simply being here." Winter said.

"What do you mean?"

"Ruby was obviously uncomfortable, she wouldn't stop shifting in her seat. Weiss was incredibly stressed, trying to make a good impression, Blake was uncomfortable for obvious reasons, and Yang looked almost as angry as you did when that guy spoke up."

"What about you?"

"I wanted to punch that guy through a wall." Winter answered, a small grin on her face. " _Especially_ when he decided to call you a murderer."

"Don't know how long I could've kept myself from _becoming_ a murderer if I stayed in there any longer." Ivan joked, eliciting a small laugh from Winter.

"I know that the Faunus in there certainly appreciated that." Winter said.

As if to accent her point perfectly, Blake walked out of the Estate. "Ivan…" She said, wrapping him in a tight hug as he turned around. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me for speaking the truth." Ivan responded, returning the gesture.

Blake pulled out of the gesture, still smiling. The small grin plastered on her face proved contagious as Ivan started smiling as well. "God… that felt good." Ivan said, chuckling to himself. "I've never been happier to be angry."

After a few moments of rather pleasant silence, Ivan heard the front door open. He internally winced as he saw Jacques Schnee descend the short flight of steps, turning in his direction. "Mister Chesnokov…" Schnee began, his voice calm and collected.

"My apologies about my outburst." Ivan quickly responded. "And the glass, I'm willing to compensate you for that."

"Don't worry about it." Schnee said, waving the gesture off. "I'm just here to give my apologies. What James said in there was completely unwarranted. Your… frustration with him is completely understandable."

"Thank you, sir." Ivan said, nodding. "Still, I can't help but apologize for what I said, and breaking the glass."

"Like I said, don't worry about it." Schnee said. "I still expect you all to enjoy the party." He added with a smile, turning to leave.

After a moment, the rest of Team RWBY walked outside, looking for the SPARTAN and their absent Faunus. They quickly regrouped and headed back inside, looking to enjoy the rest of the party as much as possible.


	16. Chapter 16: Tethered

**Chapter 16: Tethered**

 **June 14, 2682; 1750 Hours**

Ivan leaned back, relaxing into the back seat of the Schnee-provided limousine which was on its way back to Beacon. Team RWBY had greatly enjoyed the day-long rest at the Schnee Estate in Vale, Ivan spending most of his time on the beach. Despite the rocky start to the vacation, everyone greatly enjoyed it. Ruby and Yang were currently speculating about what their visit to Earth would be like.

"Hey Ivan, does the UNSC have flying cars?" Ruby asked.

Ivan chuckled. "No, sadly. We've still got wheeled cars."

"What about cool laser guns and chrome cities?" Yang asked, hopefully.

"I mean… we have a giant laser cannon, but our cities are just normal cities." Ivan said, smiling.

"I'm rather excited to visit Earth." Winter mused. "I always thought that manned spaceflight was a pipe dream. We never developed any rockets or engines powerful enough to break Remnant's orbit, so we just… gave up."

Ivan grinned. "I guess that's just one of the many differences between our governments. I can't wrap my head around the idea of looking up at that sky, seeing all of the stars and the possibilities that the universe could hold, and _not_ pushing whatever boundaries it took just to get a glimpse of it. When I looked up there as a kid, I saw… us."

"Us?" Weiss asked.

"I saw what we were meant to become." Ivan said. "I always dreamed of leaving my homeworld, seeing all of the wonders that the universe had in store for us. For me, I only had to dream about it until I was sixteen, then I did it. The UEG has spent five hundred years shaping a place for Humanity among the stars, working for decades to carve out our own little slice of the infinite… we looked out on Earth's night sky on November 1st, 2291; and we decided that Earth was just our cradle… the stars were our home."

"You really feel passionately about this." Blake commented, amusedly.

"I've always been amazed by space travel." Ivan said, a smile constantly present on his face. "Sorry for nerding out at you guys, but it's all just so amazing to me. Most people get desensitized to the idea of traveling between planets… thank God I haven't."

"I can't wait to see it." Weiss commented.

"Anything we should know about space travel?" Winter asked cocking an eyebrow.

"Well, just that it's not exactly instantaneous." Ivan shrugged. "It's come a long way, but a trip out to Earth will still take a few days at the very least."

"How fast are your ships?" Ruby asked. Ivan suppressed a chuckle at Ruby's interest in something speed-related.

"Depends on the speed of the ship in real-space." Ivan answered. "Smaller ships like a Prowler can move faster than something like an Orion-Class or a Valiant-Class."

"What's it like?" Blake asked. "Space, I mean."

"Massive." Ivan answered. "Massive, empty, and gorgeous. I've never seen anything more awe-inspiring in my life. And you'll get to see it soon." He added, gesturing to the distant silhouette of the Vale Tether, which was mere hours from completion.

XXXXX

 **June 19, 2682; 0330 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon (Team RWBY Dorm)**

Ivan slowly sat up in his bed, his neck creaking after a rather restless night's sleep. He glanced at his retinal implant's clock, which he merely read as "oh-dark-thirty A.M.". He slowly stood from his bed, surprised to find that Weiss and Ruby were awake as well. Both of them were already dressed, had their belongings for the two week trip packed, and seemed incredibly excited.

Yang and Blake were curled up together on Yang's bed, the Blonde not planning on waking up anytime soon. Blake, much to Ivan's amusement, was letting out a light rumbling noise from the back of her throat. He knew that it wasn't uncommon for Faunus to unconsciously show a few more… animalistic tendencies. Blake would occasionally cock her head to one side when she was questioning someone, she didn't like dogs too much, and she even _purred_ when she was curled up next to her human space heater. Yang occasionally teased her about the purring, Blake usually firing back with her own teasing, her girlfriend slowly starting to rub off on her.

Ivan stood upright, popping his back to relieve the tension in his bones. Ruby looked over in his direction, then looked to her slumbering sister. Ivan gave her a "You can deal with that one" look, then gathered his formal dress uniform and headed into the bathroom. As he began changing into his dress uniform, he could hear Ruby and Weiss quietly discussion just _how_ they were going to go about waking Yang.

As he stepped out of the bathroom, his uniform perfectly pressed and aligned, he saw Weiss shrug and walk towards the bed. "Xiao Long… what in the world happened to your hair?" She asked, projecting her voice a bit more than usual. Yang instantly bolted awake, startling the sleeping Faunus next to her. Blake fell completely out of the rather small bed while Yang jumped from her resting place, checking her long blonde mane for any damage.

Upon realizing that nothing was out of place, she turned to glare at Weiss. "Not cool… don't scare me like that!"

"Don't sleep like a rock and I wouldn't have to." Weiss fired back, grinning. "And it was Ruby's idea, anyways."

"I feel betrayed!" Yang said, clutching her chest in mock hurt.

"I regret nothing!" Ruby said, smiling.

"I… There are no words." Blake said, standing upright and straightening her nightie out.

"Just go get ready." Weiss said. "We need to be at the Tether by five."

"What time is it?" Blake asked, gathering up her clothes.

"Three forty-five." Ivan answered. "We've gotta get out of here at four thirty."

"Why did they have to schedule the opening at the crack of dawn?" Yang asked, yawning.

"It's symbolic." Ivan explained. "It's meant to symbolize the start of a new era for Remnant."

"Eras can start past dawn, too." Yang complained, stepping into the bathroom with Blake following behind.

Ivan glanced down to his datapad, which beeped at him. He opened up the message, reading through it.

 _SPARTAN Chesnokov,_

 _Your transport has been dispatched from Firebase India. It'll take you directly to the Tether's ground-side anchor whenever you're ready._

 _-Merlin_

Ivan closed out the message, finding that Blake and Yang had already changed and were gathering their things. "I'm impressed, Yang." Ivan joked. "You got ready in under two hours."

"What can I say? I've been looking forward to this." Yang said. "I'd rather not start the day off by being late, I'd like to start it off with a bang."

"Or with a _Yang_?" Weiss asked, causing all four of the others in the room to stare at her. "What?"

"Just… No…" Yang said, letting out an exasperated, and very exaggerated sigh.

"Says the Pun Queen." Ivan joked.

"Hey, puns are an art, not a science." Yang said, smiling as she grabbed her small collection of belongings. "Weiss is too stiff for puns."

"Might explain why you barely passed Grimm Anatomy..." Weiss muttered to herself, gathering her own belongings.

"We all ready?" Ivan asked, looking to his teammates. Everyone gave a quick nod, earning another from the SPARTAN. "Alrighty then, let's go!" Ivan said, leading the way out of the dorm room.

Ivan made his way through the ground of Beacon, the four huntresses following behind. He could easily tell that they were excited about the prospect of going to Earth, given their inability to talk about anything else for the past few days. After clearing the main courtyard, the landing pads came into view. On one of the larger landing pads, in place of a Bullhead VTOL, there was an OD green Pelican dropship resting with its landing gear down. Ivan gave the pilot a quick, informal salute, which he returned.

Ivan climbed into the Pelican first, turning to help everyone else on board once he was fully aboard. "Is this everyone, Colonel?" The pilot asked, opening the door from the cockpit.

"Yeah, we're good to go." Ivan said, nodding towards the pilot.

"Alright, everyone strap in." The pilot said, walking back into the cockpit and preparing to take off.

Ivan took his seat, lazily crossing his legs as he waited for the Pelican to depart. "What do you think the trip will be like?" Yang asked, looking around.

"It'll be quick getting there, that's for sure." Ivan said.

"How long are we going to be on the ship?" Weiss asked.

"Two days, tops." Ivan said. "The UEG decided, since a vast majority of the people going to Earth today are political dignitaries, to send a Geneva-Class Envoy Ship, which are famous for having some of the most advanced Slipspace drives in UEG Space. To give you an idea, my Prowler covered the distance between Earth and Remnant in just under two weeks."

"Wait… it can cover like, hundreds of light years in a day?" Ruby asked, amazed.

"Yeah." Ivan replied. "The Prowler is a bit of an older model, doesn't have the power output for newer Slipspace drives."

"Why don't they just put those types of engines on all UNSC ships?" Weiss asked.

"Mostly because they're stupidly expensive." Ivan replied. "Geneva-Class ships with these drives generally run the UEG anywhere between twenty to thirty billion credits. The only other ship we have that's _that_ expensive would be the Infinity-Class."

The Pelican took off, leaving the surface of Remnant with a slight jolt before it began gaining speed. "Do you know where we're going to be on Earth?" Weiss asked.

"They haven't given me a straight answer, but there's really only one place they'd take dignitaries to: Sydney."

"Why's that?" Blake asked.

"Well… Sydney's the Capital of the UEG." Ivan explained. "It's the largest city on the planet."

"Well, I'm excited." Weiss said.

"As if that wasn't quite clear." Blake commented, smiling.

After a few more minutes of rather peaceful, albeit question-laden flight towards the Tether, the Pelican finally set down, the rear door opening and allowing the occupants to leave. Ivan hopped out first, getting a good look at the Vale Tether. It reminded him of the larger Cargo Tethers that Reach was outfitted with, but it also appeared to have a specialized compartment for carrying passengers. It was slightly larger than the average space tether, being about two hundred meters in diameter. As the huntresses climbed out of the Pelican, Ivan could practically hear their jaws hit the floor as they looked up at the massive spire, its end not even visible from the surface. The massive elevator seemed to stretch on forever.

"Well then…" Weiss said, staring at the massive marvel of engineering in bewilderment.

"What's going on there?" Blake asked, pointing to a small squadron of F-41 Broadsword fighters that were flying overhead.

"A few Nevermores have been getting rather curious with the Tether, so the Air Force sent the 103rd Fighter Wing to protect the Tether from the air." As if to accent Ivan's point, the distinctive sound of a Broadsword's 20mm cannon could be heard from a fair distance away, followed by the screeching of a dying Nevermore. "Beautiful…"

Ivan turned his head, hearing footsteps coming up from behind. He saw the familiar form of Admiral Bishop walking over, prompting him to give a formal salute. "Admiral!" Ivan said, his body at rigid attention. Bishop waved the gesture off, allowing Ivan to relax.

"Welcome to the Vale Tether's planetside anchor." Admiral Bishop said, strolling over towards the newcomers.

"That's amazing!" Yang said, looking at the tether. "How does it work?"

"Magnetic induction, wireless energy transfer, and centrifugal force." Bishop responded. "It's a pleasure to see you all again."

"How long will it take to climb that?" Blake asked, eyeing the climber platform.

"About six minutes." Bishop responded.

After Bishop spent a few minutes answering questions about the Tether's function, a few Bullhead VTOLs landed in the general area of the Pelican. Various leaders of Remnant's four kingdoms piled out, including General Ironwood and Winter. Everyone began congregating near the tether's anchor.

Bishop garnered everyone's attention by clearing his throat, causing everyone to turn and face the aging Admiral. Bishop began speaking. "I'm proud to stand here, about to send the first people from Remnant to visit our, and your, homeworld. Your planet has been disconnected from the rest of humanity for far too long, and it's time we fixed that. This Tether will be the first of many bridges that the UEG will be building over the years. I have no doubt that the people of Remnant have a few questions about the UEG's intentions here, and I believe that this Tether is the best answer we could ever give. The UEG is here to repair the shattered planet that you call home."

"For hundreds of years, the people of Remnant have been forced to hide behind the walls of their cities. These cities were the only light in the darkness where life could truly thrive. After seeing the people of Remnant standing shoulder-to-shoulder with UNSC military forces to defend these safe havens, I am proud to say that the UNSC truly does have this planet's best interests at heart. This planet no longer needs to hide in the shadows of giants…"

"It's time for Remnant to finally reach out for the stars, just as we did all those centuries ago. Godspeed, and here's wishing you a happy voyage home." Bishop said, a smile etched on his face.

Almost on cue, the heavy blast door that led into the tether's passenger compartment opened up, allowing the passengers to board the platform. Everyone began funneling in, most people choosing to stand near the edge of the tether so they could watch their ascension. Ruby was practically glued to the transparent walls of the climber.

Winter walked towards Ivan, stopping just next to him. She couldn't explain the feeling in her chest when Ironwood had decided to stand near Ivan and the rest of Team RWBY… was it relief? Excitement?

After a few moments of waiting around, the climber began its ascension. Most of the passengers made their way to the edge of the climber, hoping to watch the planet leave them. The beginning of the climb was rather slow, but it quickly began to build up speed. At the close of the first minute, the climber was well beyond the tallest building in Vale, allowing the passengers to clearly see the entire city. Everything was visible, from Mountain Glenn to the Emerald Forest, even Forever Fall Forest.

As the climb continued, the climber eventually broke Remnant's atmosphere. The blue sky almost instantly became pitch black, occasionally speckled by tiny dots of light in the distance. The entire passenger section of the climber let out a collective gasp, seeing their planet rotating lazily in the empty void of space. Ivan let out a small smile as he saw Winter stand there, a look of pure amazement on her face. "I… I never thought that something like this would ever be possible."

Ivan smiled, nudging Winter with his arm. "Look at that, out there." He said, pointing to a small star off in the distance. "You see that star?"

"Yeah… what about it?" Winter asked, her attention directed towards that small speck of light.

"That's home… the way it was almost 2,000 years ago." Ivan said. "That small little star out there has, quite possibly, the most important planet in the galaxy orbiting it. When you look up at the stars from a planet, you're seeing them as they were thousands of years ago. I'd be willing to bet that a lot of the stars that we can see from right here aren't there anymore."

"What do you mean, 'not there anymore?'" Winter asked.

"Most of those stars have probably gone supernova by this point." Ivan explained. "Looking up at space, you're almost looking back in time, since it's so huge."

"I never took you for the kind of person to be interested in that sort of thing…" Winter commented with a small smile.

"Space has always fascinated me…" Ivan said, looking towards a large group of Gyges Construction Drones as they worked on building the superstructure of an orbital defense platform. "Anything can happen out there… even finding your own people on another planet halfway across the Orion Arm."

After a few more moments, the Vale Tether's Station came into view. It had a large collection of warships guarding it, most of them smaller frigates with a few Capital Cruisers milling about the area. The station itself was huge, measuring in at four kilometers in diameter. It was strangely circular in design, and had a fair few ships docked with it. Among those docked ships was a Geneva-Class Envoy Cruiser. It was a strange looking craft when compared to the rest of the UNSC fleet. It was very sleek in its design, not really having too many defined or blocky features. It measured in at 1.7 kilometers, giving it a very interesting appearance when compared to the rest of the UNSC's small frigates that dotted the black canvas of space.

The passengers of the climber, including Team RWBY, all found their way to the glass, looking out on the station. Ruby and Weiss were marveling at the large, rotating structure that was under guard from the UNSC fleet. Blake and Yang were simply taking in the sight of Remnant. "You can see Patch from here…" Ruby said, a sense of awe permeating her voice.

The climber eventually made its way inside the station, docking with the internal section of the massive station. The passengers of the climber turned to look as the blast door opened again, giving them a view of the inside of the station. The station itself was a clean, almost sterile white. There were a massive number of viewports out into the void of space, and a few Marines or Naval Officers moving around the station.

Just in front of the blast door was a man in a UNSC Captain's uniform, flanked by six SPARTAN IVs in pure white armor. The Captain had a wide smile on his face. "Welcome to Remnant-I, everyone. I am Captain Joshua Westmoreland, commanding officer of the Geneva-Class Envoy Ship, _Guardian_." He clasped his hands behind his back. "Now, if you'd all follow me, I'll show you the way to the ship."

XXXXX

 **June 19, 2682; 0530 Hours**

 **UNSC** ** _Guardian_** **, Deck 7**

Ivan walked up to his small room that was granted to him for the duration of the trip to Earth. He flashed his ID at the small scanner on the wall, earning a soft beep and an open door. The room was more akin to a hotel room than an officer's quarters. It had beige carpeting, a cleanly pressed queen-sized bed, a flat screen on the wall, and a very impressive view from a window on the opposite wall.

His room would have been rather disinteresting and boring… had a very pale woman with shoulder-length black hair, bright blue eyes, and a flowing white dress not been sitting in one of the room's three chairs. After a moment, he recognized the familiar form before him. "Soleia?" Ivan asked, surprised.

"Hello, SPARTAN." Soleia responded, cheerfully.

"What're you doing? How did you do this?" He asked, gesturing to her life-sized body.

"Oh, this ship apparently has hard light projectors all over." Soleia explained. "It's rather nice to have a body again, even if just for a few short days."

"Wait… what do you mean 'again?'" Ivan asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Much like the Monitors of the Halo Installations, I was once a flesh and blood human." Soleia explained. "I believe that one of your SPARTANs has encountered one of these monitors before, yes?"

"Wait… 343 Guilty Spark was a human at one point?" Ivan asked. " _You_ were a human at one point? I thought that humans went insane when they were composed."

"The Didact's barbaric weapon is not responsible for this." Soleia explained, almost spitting out pure venom at the mention of the Didact. "I received a mortal wound, and I was allowed to receive an Ancillary consciousness thanks to a Forerunner Admiral. And yes, 343 Guilty Spark, myself, and all other monitors were, at one point, humans."

"How's that possible?" Ivan asked.

"Has that history been lost?" Soleia asked, looking to the SPARTAN, who simply regarded her with confusion. "Apparently so…" She muttered to herself. "Well, Humanity once had an empire that rivaled that of the Forerunners. There was a period of tentative peace between the two species, but a war eventually broke out."

"Wait… Humans and the Forerunners went to war?" Ivan asked.

"Indeed. Humanity and their San'Shyuum allies." Soleia explained.

Ivan nearly choked on his own breath. "Hold on… the San'Shyuum… the fucking _Prophets_ , were our allies at one point?!"

"Indeed… they proved to be rather effective warriors." Soleia explained.

"Jesus…" Ivan said, taking in a deep breath. In any other situation, he would have laughed at the 'effective warriors' part.

"Following the defeat of Humanity at the hands of the Forerunner Empire, Humans were devolved to a Tier 6 society. We were brought to the various Halo Installations, Erde Tyrene, and the Greater Ark."

"Erde Tyrene?" Ivan asked.

"Humanity's birthplace." Soleia responded. "Our current destination."

"Okay… I thought you were gonna say that Humans were natives to Sangheilios or something."

"Humans were split into about thirty various subspecies by the Forerunners, as they hoped our division would prevent us from gaining the same level of power that we did." Soleia explained, choosing to ignore Ivan's snarky comment. "Two of these subspecies continue existing to this day."

Ivan's eyes went wide. "Being…?"

" _Homo Sapiens_ and _Homo Fauna_." Soleia explained. "Wise Humans and Faunus."

For the second time in a very short while, Ivan nearly choked on his own breath. "Hold the phone for just a goddamn second here… The Forerunners created the Faunus?"

"By including a randomized hox gene." Soleia explained. "Essentially, this gene changes a very small part of the human body plan at random. It creates a single animal-like trait on any human that happens to bear that gene."

"Well then…" Ivan said, taking a deep breath. "Can't say that I was expecting to learn _that_."

"Well, I figured that it was only right to share this with you." Soleia explained. "It was the least I could do after you answered all of my questions all of those eons ago."

"What?" Ivan asked.

"The Forerunner Admiral who I have to thank for allowing me to live…" Soleia began. "His name was Echo of Wandering Stars."

XXXXX

 **June 19, 2682; 0532 Hours**

 **UNSC** ** _Guardian_** **, Deck 7**

Ruby and Weiss made their way into their room that was granted to them for the trip. Much to Ruby's surprise, Weiss didn't complain _too_ much when she learned that she would have to share a room with Ruby, since the ship was short on space at the moment. Much to Weiss' current dismay, Ruby haphazardly dropped her suitcase near the foot of the bed and rushed over to the window, getting a good view of Remnant. Half of Remnant was currently shrouded in darkness, with the dusk just falling over Eastern Atlas. "Weiss!" Ruby said, bouncing happily. "It's so pretty!"

Weiss couldn't help but smile as her effervescent partner excitedly beckoned her over, pointing to the surface of Remnant. "It certainly is beautiful."

The two of them felt the ship shift slight, noticing that it had begun moving. Remnant began slowly moving away. The two of them could faintly make out a crackling of purple and black energy as the ship moved. In almost an instant, the ship's surroundings shifted to black, with the occasional flicker of blue energy in the distance. "So this is Slipspace?" Weiss asked, looking at the empty void.

"Well… there goes the view." Ruby said, somewhat saddened. She perked up almost immediately, remembering how Ivan had described this ship. It was more like a luxury liner than a military vessel. "What do you want to do now?"

"I'm open to suggestions." Weiss said, shrugging.

Ruby glanced down at the datapad on one of the tables, switching it over to a list of ship facilities. One in particular stood out to her, causing a smile to break out across her face. "I have an idea!"

XXXXX

 **June 19, 2682; 0600 Hours**

 **UNSC** ** _Guardian_** **, Deck 10**

"A combat simulator?" Weiss asked, pulling a neural interface suit over herself. She was standing in a small changing room and struggling to get the strange suit on.

"Remember how Ivan was talking about it?" Ruby asked, excitement quite evident in her voice. "You can _actually_ fight in like, any battle from history!"

Weiss couldn't argue that it did indeed sound interesting. She emerged from the small divided area, finding Ruby to be stowing her belongings in a locker. Weiss did the same, eventually following behind her bubbly partner as they made their way towards a metallic door. The door automatically opened up, allowing them to step inside.

After stepping through a small hallway, they came into the main simulator room. It was a large room, at least two hundred square meters. It had a gray set of tiles all along the ceiling, walls, and floor, along with what looked like… projectors all over.

Ruby made her way over to a small pedestal near the door, swiping across the holographic interface a few times. "Hey Weiss…" She said after a moment. "Give me a number between 1900 and 2200."

"Why?" Weiss asked.

"It's asking for a year." Ruby responded.

"Umm… 1942."

"Alright… Location!" Ruby said. "The options are: North Africa, East Asia, South Pacific, Eastern Europe, and the North Atlantic. All of them are on Earth, apparently."

"Umm… North Africa sounds interesting, let's go with that."

"Alright… how about affiliation? Who do you want to fight as?" Ruby asked. "The options are Germany, The United Kingdom, and The United States."

"Wait… isn't Germany the country that founded Atlas as a Colony?" Weiss asked.

"I think so." Ruby responded. "At least that's what I remember Ivan saying."

"Let's go with that."

"Alrighty… how hard do you want this to be? We can fight an Arcade Battle, Realistic Battle, or Simulator Battle."

"Let's start off on Realistic." Weiss replied.

"Alright. Done and done." Ruby said, pressing a few more buttons on the pedestal.

After a few moments, the two girls jumped as they saw that the room had begun changing, drastically. The ground had actually become sandy, reminiscent of a desert. The walls had become projections of distant mountains, the blue sky dotted with clouds. The room began to heat up a bit, making it feel like a desert environment. To say that this looked photorealistic would be a massive understatement.

Weiss was truly surprised to find that Ruby's Neural Interface Suit had changed as well. It had changed into a brown cloth uniform with numerous patches on the shoulder. Weiss looked down, finding that her suit had changed into something almost identical. She felt a fairly heavy weight weigh down on her chest, finding a strange metallic weapon to be dangling from a sling. It was rounded around the receiver, sported a skeletal stock, and had a stick magazine near the front of the gun.

Ruby found herself carrying a strange wooden rifle with a straight bolt, small magazine on the bottom of the rifle. It had squared sights and weighed a fair bit. Both girls found themselves carrying numerous spare magazines and stripper clips.

Weiss looked around, finding there to be a small desert village near the center of the area. As she looked, she noticed that a few people were starting to fade into view. They had uniforms almost identical to her own, but were all male and carried a variety of weapons. Behind the sixty spawned soldiers, a group of four armored vehicles came into view. One of them was massive, looking like a box with treads. It had a long barreled cannon, a machine gun on top of its turret, and had "088" painted on the side of the turret. "That's awesome!" Ruby said, looking around.

Two smaller tanks came into view next to the heavier one, looking like smaller versions of the larger one at first. Their guns were slightly smaller, but they had side-skirts for the treads, concealing them almost completely. The fourth vehicle was a strange mix between a truck and a tank, having a pair of wheels up front and a set of tracks in the back. After all of the vehicles and soldiers had spawned in, a man in a black uniform climbed on top of the largest of the tanks, dropping into a hatch on the top of the turret. The dozens of other soldiers piled into their respective vehicles as well. Ruby and Weiss had decided to step into the back of the halftrack, along with eight other soldiers.

The black-clad commander shouted from the top of his tank, Weiss able to translate the very thick Atlesian… no, German, words. "Vorwarts!"

XXXXX

 **June 19, 2682; 0710 Hours**

 **UNSC** ** _Guardian_** **, Deck 7**

Ivan stepped out of his room wearing his suit's gel layer. He needed something to clear his head, and the combat simulator certainly had a good track record for that. Soleia had decided to head off in another direction, hoping to explore the ship a bit. Ivan couldn't stop thinking about the dozens of revelations that he had been subject to over the past hour. His basic understanding of history had been shaken to its core, learning that this was merely the second incarnation of human civilization.

He was so lost in thought that he nearly bumped into Winter as she rounded a corner. "Whoa… sorry." Ivan said, steadying himself.

"Don't worry about it." Winter said with a laugh. "Where are you off to?"

"Combat simulator." Ivan responded, shrugging. "You're free to join me if you'd like."

"I'd like that, I was just looking for you, actually."

"Any particular reason?" Ivan asked.

Winter silently cursed her pale complexion, making her blushes even more visible than normal. "W-Well, Ironwood gave me leave for the duration of the trip, so I've really got nothing else to do."

"Ah…" Ivan said. Winter couldn't tell what was behind Ivan's response… was that regret? Sadness?

Ivan led the way into the combat simulator, motioning to a rack of black suits with white lines running across various parts of the suit. "Put one of those on, they let the simulator actually register you as a part of it."

"What is it?" Winter asked, looking at the strange bodysuit.

"Neural Interface Suit." Ivan responded. "Basically, it's usually used to let people either interface with simulations, or in my case it lets me interface with my armor. We just call it a Tech Suit."

Winter nodded, stepping into one of the small divided areas to change out of her normal attire. As she stepped out, Ivan had a strange tightening sensation in his chest as she emerged, wearing a skin-tight suit. He couldn't help his eyes slowly drifting down. " _What…_ " Ivan thought to himself. " _What the hell? It's not like I've never seen someone in one of these suits before… why am I reacting this way?_ " Ivan pushed the feeling down, attributing it to his rather vulnerable mental state at the moment. "U-Uh… just put your stuff in one of the lockers over there." Ivan said.

Winter saw the small bit of hesitation in Ivan's speech, smiling to herself as she turned to open up a locker. She was rather surprised to find Weiss's normal dress, along with Myrtenaster. "Wait… what's Weiss' dress doing here?" She asked.

"I guess she's in there right now." Ivan said, shrugging. "I'm kinda interested to see what she decided to do for the simulator." Ivan motioned for Winter to follow him, which she did. As he stepped through the first of two doors, the simulator's systems began integrating him and Winter into the simulated battle happening just through the second door.

Ivan soon found himself to be wearing a uniform that would belong to a member of the German Afrika Korps. He gave a small smile as a massive weight fell on his shoulder. He reached up, barely catching the stock of an MG42 in time. "Excellent choice!" Ivan said, looking at his equipment.

Winter was carrying an MP-40, a few stick grenades, and had a Walther at her hip. "You know this battle? "

"Yep." Ivan responded. "North Africa, 1942 at least. We're infantrymen for the German Afrika Korps tasked with securing a small village in Algeria from either the British Army or the American Army."

"You can tell all of this purely by equipment?" Winter asked.

"It's actually not that hard." Ivan said with a smile. "My MG didn't enter production until 1942, so that gives me a few clues. The uniforms kinda give it away too." Ivan noticed that the second door had opened, revealing a massive desert landscape. "Alright, let's move!" Ivan said, his demeanor changing almost instantly.

He and Winter rushed into the heat-blasted desert of Algeria, spotting a few Afrika Korps troops ducked down behind a building, one of them tossing a grenade around the corner before ducking back into cover. Ivan rushed over to a chest-high wall, placing his MG's bipod on the wall and priming his weapon. He noticed a pair of Sherman tanks off in the distance, cluing him into his enemy. He let out a burst of MG fire as he saw a pair of infantrymen round the corner, neither of them standing a chance against the massive fire rate of an MG-42.

Ivan heard Winter slide into cover next to him, a small smile crossing his face as he saw a Sherman tank catch a 75mm round from a Panzer IV H, subsequently bursting into flames. Winter fired a short burst from her MP-40, felling a single rifleman with a Browning Automatic Rifle. She ducked back into cover, seeing the MG on the top of a Sherman turn in their direction. As she did, she saw a head of white hair ducked behind a building across the village, occasionally popping up to fire with its own MP-40. "I think I see Weiss!" Winter shouted as .30 caliber rounds peppered the area around them.

Ivan looked over, spotting the heiress behind the building. "I see her." He said. "Here, move from cover to cover whenever I put down suppressing fire." Winter nodded in response. She waited for a few moments, eventually breaking out from cover and sprinting the short distance to take cover behind a nearby building. Ivan's burst of machine gun fire gave her just enough time to duck behind the building, only a slight distance from Weiss now. She broke from cover again, just after a pair of German soldiers provided her with the fire she needed to move.

She slid into cover behind the same building as Weiss, startling the heiress a fair bit. "Winter!" Weiss exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I came with Ivan!" Winter responded, replacing the nearly-spent magazine in her weapon.

"Where's he?" Weiss asked.

"Back there!" Winter said, gesturing towards the direction she came from. "He stayed behind to provide cover."

"Ruby!" Weiss demanded, drawing the redhead's attention to her. Ruby ducked down behind the wall again, fumbling with the stripper clip as she tried to slot it into her Karabiner 98. "Get over here, that tank thing's coming!"

Ruby moved back behind the village, just as Ivan slid behind it as well. "Hey, everyone!" Ivan said. "Where's the party?"

"Ivan, do you have anything to deal with that tank?" Weiss asked, gesturing to the Sherman across the way that was currently lighting up a team of riflemen with its .30.

Ivan looked around, spotting something rather awesome. "I don't… but he does!" Ivan said, gesturing to the massive Tiger H1 tank as it rolled through a collection of fences, firing its KWK-36 88mm gun, practically splitting the front armor of the Sherman wide open.

"Whoa!" Ruby exclaimed, seeing the Sherman's ammo rack detonate and blast the turret off of the chassis. "Awesome!"

Ivan watched as the German soldiers moved against the now-retreating American forces of the 1st Infantry Division. After a few more minutes of small firefights, the simulation came to a grinding halt, with the soldiers frozen in place along with the tanks and passing planes. "What's going on?" Weiss asked, looking around to the frozen soldiers and vehicles.

"Simulation's over." Ivan explained. "We won."

"Whoo…" Ruby let out a breath, wiping some sweat from her forehead. "That was really fun!"

"Wanna go again?" Ivan asked.

"Of course!" Weiss said in an unusual moment of excitement.

XXXXX

 **June 19, 2682; 1141 Hours**

 **UNSC** ** _Guardian_** **, Deck 10**

Ivan, Winter, Weiss, and Ruby slowly walked out of the simulator, all of them looking completely exhausted. "Oh my god…" Weiss said. "I think we pushed it a bit with that last one…"

"What, you didn't like jumping out of a perfectly good dropship?" Ivan joked, wiping some sweat from his brow.

"I still can't believe that you'd _ever_ get someone to sign up for that." Ruby said, sighing as she stepped into a small area to change back into her normal clothes. Ivan, since he didn't have a change of clothes, simply waited for everyone to finish changing out of their Neural Interface Suits.

Once everyone was fully changed, Ivan stood up and followed Ruby and Weiss back into the hallways of _Guardian_. "God… I'm starving." Ivan said. "You all want to go get something in the Mess?"

"I think I'm going to sleep for a week." Weiss said.

"Same…" Ruby said, following behind her partner as they made their way back towards their room.

"I'll join you." Winter said, smiling.

"Sounds good to me." Ivan said, making his way to the mess hall with Winter following behind.

The Mess Hall itself, since it was the middle of the day on UNSC Calendars, was bustling and busy. The two gathered their food, sitting down at a table near the back door of the room. Winter and Ivan sat in rather awkward silence for a few moments, Winter finally being the one to break the metaphorical ice. "I had a lot of fun, I'm really glad that I came with you."

"I'm glad you came too, you're a blast to have around." Ivan said, smiling slightly.

"Really?" Winter asked. "Most people think that I'm rather boring."

Ivan scoffed. "Seriously? Bullshit. You're probably one of the most fun people I've ever met."

Winter cursed herself again as she felt a blush creep up her neck. "T-Thanks."

"So…" Ivan began. "Why were you _really_ looking for me?"

Winter felt her stomach drop in a bout of very intense nervousness. "W-What do you mean?"

"I work with ONI, Winter. I've learned to read people incredibly well." Ivan responded, a grin on his face.

Winter decided, in a split-second decision, to push her luck a bit. "Well… what was that little pause when you asked what my reason was? It almost sounded a bit sad."

Winter smiled inwardly as she saw Ivan blush a slight bit, but he was obviously more adept at hiding it. "Well… I'd be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy the thought of you spending time with me because you wanted to."

"And what if I did?" Winter asked.

"Well, I wouldn't have any complaints." Ivan said.

"I'm glad to hear that." Winter said, smiling. "So… would you like to spend a bit more time together?"

"Hmm…" Ivan thought to himself for a moment. He felt his face heating up a bit. "A beautiful, strong, intelligent soldier from Atlas just asked if I wanted to 'spend more time with her'… how could I ever say no?"

"Well… that may have just been the most awkward way to ask someone out for a date…" Winter mused, earning a rather awkward laugh from Ivan.

"No kidding…" Ivan said, leaning back in his seat. "But… doesn't the Atlesian Military have fraternization regs?"

"Only between two members of Atlas' Military." Winter said, blushing rather heavily. "Does the UNSC?"

"Only for active-duty personnel." Ivan responded. "I'm not technically active-duty."

"Well… erm… that's… good." Winter said, earning a small grin from Ivan.

Ivan chuckled to himself. "Whoever would've thought that my first date would be with a sword-wielding Huntress from Atlas?"

"Wait… you've never gone on a date before?" Winter asked, amazed.

"Nope." Ivan responded. "Believe it or not, I was a bit of an awkward kid in high school."

"What about after you finished school?"

"I enlisted a year before I finished school, left for ODST Drop School a week after graduation from Marines Basic." Ivan explained. "I've never been in one place long enough to ever really… get attached to someone."

"Well, I'm honored to be your first." Winter said with a smile.

"I have a sinking feeling that Weiss is gonna kill me." Ivan said, earning a smile from Winter.


	17. Chapter 17: Light of Sol

**Chapter 17: Light of Sol**

 **June 20, 2682; 0330 Hours**

 **Havana Station, Earth Orbit**

Thorne strolled casually through the metallic halls of one of Earth's numerous orbital stations. He had a small smile permanently plastered on his face has he carried a large file in his hands. It had taken ONI weeks to dig this old information up from the depths of Remnant's network databases, but he finally had everything he needed. Quite frankly, this was why he joined ONI, this feeling.

The station he was on was an orbital prisoner retention station, designed to ensure the… captivity of very high-risk criminals, and to prevent them from ever being a risk again. ONI had a certain affinity for facilities like these. Thorne didn't necessarily _like_ these stations, but he understood their necessity. Humanity, even during this time of peace, had quite a few enemies.

He stopped in front of a large metallic door, guarded by a pair of ODSTs in black armor. They saluted, seeing his ONI pin, and stepped aside. He gave them a curt nod as he passed, walking into the small hallway that opened up. At the end of the hallway was another door, with a single retinal scanner resting on the frame of the sliding door. Thorne leaned into the retinal scanner, placing his cybernetic eye within the scanning array's range. Once the machine blinked green, a small speaker lit up red, asking Thorne for his voice confirmation. "Agent Thorne, Confirmation Code: Alpha-Romeo-Charlie-Zero-One-Nine."

The door pinged softly, opening and allowing Thorne to step inside. A small grin set across his face has he looked at Mercury's form, sitting in a metallic chair in a dimly lit room. His hands were chained to a metal table. Mercury's sunken, defeated eyes looked up to meet Thorne's vibrant, full-of-life cybernetic ones. Thorne shot Mercury a warm smile as he sat down in a chair across from the young man, laying the tan folder gently on the table.

"What do you want?" Mercury asked, his voice hoarse and sullen.

"Mister Black… interesting cybernetics." Thorne said, seeming to ignore the boy's question. "Things like those rival even the UNSC's cybertech suites… they're only available from Atlas." Thorne gestured to a picture of Mercury's cybernetic legs, which had the metallic coverings stripped off of them. His original robotic legs had been replaced by a very basic pair of robotic prosthetics by UNSC surgeons following Mercury's detaining and processing. "That begs the question… how does the son of a dead assassin afford such advanced prosthetics, especially after his legs get smashed by his burning home?"

Mercury's already pale and sunken expression somehow shows even _more_ emotional distress at Thorne's not-so-thinly-veiled jab. "Fuck you." Mercury said, turning to stare at his restrained hands.

"Oh, you wound me so." Thorne said, chuckling to himself as he flipped through the folder in front of him. "It's not my fault that your father was too weak to protect his frail little _boy_. Now…" Thorne leaned back against his chair, his hands clasped across his crossed knee. "Tell me where you got the money and connections to get your hands on hardware like that."

"Like I said, go fuck yourself." Mercury responded, still staring at his hands.

Thorne shrugged. "It's really not that big of a deal, in the grand scheme of things. We've already got Emerald… she'll sing soon enough."

"Emerald's here?!" Mercury asked, his voice hopeful.

"Don't get your hopes up on escape." Thorne said, smiling. "Her sentence is far worse than yours. She'll get vented into space once she finally talks; you've got the great fortune of being here for the next lifetime."

"She won't talk." Mercury said, defiantly.

"Don't you worry about your little girlfriend, Mercury." Thorne said, sitting up straight. "She'll talk. Her Semblance sure is interesting too… too bad for her that I was immune to the little tricks she tried on me."

"W-What?" Mercury asked.

"Her little ability only affects standard human perception… lucky for me, I have an AI." Thorne said, a cocky grin on his face. "Whoever hired you, White Fang or otherwise, will be found. How long it takes us depends entirely on you."

"I already told you…" Mercury said, sighing. "The White Fang hired me through an agent!"

Thorne looked at the defeated boy's expression. He knew that Mercury was lying through his teeth, but his time was running a bit short. "Very well…" Thorne said, closing his folder. "I believe that's everything for today. Have a pleasant day, Mister Black." Thorne mocked, standing upright and stepping out of the room.

XXXXX

 **June 20, 2682; 1140 Hours**

 **UNSC** ** _Guardian_** **, Deck 7**

Yang awoke from a heavy sleep, momentarily surprised to find herself staring up at the dimly-lit metallic ceiling. Everything that had happened over the past day, everything she had experienced, came flooding back to her in an instant. She found herself drawn back into reality by the rumbling purring of her Faunus girlfriend, who was currently nestled into her neck. Yang made the mistake of stirring a bit too much, accidentally waking the slumbering Faunus. Blake let out a quiet groan as she tried to bury herself deeper into Yang's shoulder.

Yang smiled. "Sorry, kitty cat." She said, placing a soft kiss on Blake's cheek. "It's late anyways."

"Is it?" Blake asked, slowly shifting into a sitting position. She glanced at the clock on her Scroll's screen, surprised to find it to be nearly noon. She let out a soft sigh. Suddenly, now that her Scroll was on, about two dozen messages flooded her inbox. She scanned through a few of them, finding them to be from the Team RWBY+I group message. "We need to go meet up with Weiss, Ruby, and Ivan apparently."

"What?" Yang asked,

"Weiss just made my Scroll's inbox explode; apparently she wants to call a team meeting." Blake's point was accented by a series of hard, forceful knocks against their room's door, followed by the sounds of a shouting Weiss.

"Blake! Xiao Long! Team meeting now!"

"Oh god…" Yang said, forcing her face into a pillow.

XXXXX

 **June 19, 2682; 2330 Hours**

 **UNSC** ** _Guardian_** **, Deck 7**

Ivan walked through the halls of _Guardian_ , Winter walking a bit closer to him than would generally be acceptable. Winter had a content smile on her face, which was even wider than Ivan's normal grin. "I doubt Weiss would disapprove." Winter continued on her line of thought, shrugging as she spoke.

"I suppose not." Ivan said, laughing. "If she could handle Blake and Yang, I doubt she'd have any issue with this."

"I still have a hard time understanding how the two of them get along…" Winter commented, smiling. "Yang's a bit… of a party girl. That's almost the polar opposite, from what I understand, of what Blake is."

Ivan shrugged. "Opposites attract?"

Ivan made his way towards the two rooms that the members of Team RWBY occupied. Blake and Yang had Room 201, while Weiss and Ruby had 202. Ivan occupied 203, and the rest of Remnant's dignitaries were scattered throughout the deck. He was surprised to find Ruby walking back to her room. She looked over to Ivan and Winter, smiling. "Hi, Ivan. Hi, Winter!" Ruby said, cheerful, even at midnight.

"Hey Ruby." Ivan said. "What're you doing up?"

"Trying to find a snack." Ruby admitted, earning a smile from Ivan. "What're you guys doing up?"

"We were just…" Ivan hesitated for a moment, feeling his face redden a bit. "Spending a little time together."

Ruby scrutinized the SPARTAN for a moment, her mouth opening into a wide smile after a few moments. "Oh… my… god…"

"Ruby…" Ivan began, concern heavy in his tone.

"The two of you are together?!" Ruby asked, amazed. Ivan had to give the girl credit, she could certainly be perceptive. "Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" She rattled off, almost bouncing in excitement. "I need to tell Weiss!"

"Ruby… maybe you should wait until it's a bit later in the morning?" Winter suggested, a small grin crossing her face. The blush betrayed any semblance of seriousness that her tone was trying to convey.

"How could I keep quiet about this?!" Ruby asked, still practically bouncing. "Have the two of you… you know… kissed?"

Winter and Ivan, in a rare moment of bashfulness, both blushed. "I-er-uhm…" Ivan tried, stammering out a response.

Ruby's silver eyes went wide as a huge smile spread across her face. "Oh my gosh! This is so great! You guys are adorable!"

"Ruby…" Winter began. "Could you do us a favor?" Ruby nodded, still smiling. "Could you wait until the morning to tell Weiss? You've seen how irritable she gets when she's woken up early, and I doubt you want her to be angry at a time like this."

Ruby seemed thoughtful for a moment, finally sighed. "Alright… I guess I can wait."

"Thank you, Ruby." Winter said. "Now you should probably _try_ to get some sleep."

Ruby nodded. "I'll try. Have a good night!" Ruby said, cheerfully.

"You too, Ruby." Ivan said as Ruby stepped into her shared room with Weiss. Ivan half-expected to hear Ruby call out Weiss's name, but it sounded like she would make good on her promise.

Ivan and Winter walked the few steps back towards their nearby rooms, stopping in the hall just outside Ivan's quarters. "So… umm…" Winter began, chuckling nervously as she tried to straighten herself out.

"I uhh… I had a good time." Ivan said, giving an awkward smile. "I'm sorry, I'm really bad at this."

"Have you seen me?" Winter joked, smiling.

"I have." Ivan said, working rather hard to suppress a stupid grin. "And I've never seen someone more beautiful."

Winter simply looked at him with a smile. "Smoooooth." Winter said, lightly shoving the SPARTAN.

Ivan shrugged. "I thought it was pretty tasteful."

Winter simply sighed, shaking her head with a small smile on her face. "I should probably go get some sleep." She said, almost sounding disappointed. "Weiss is going to be banging on someone's door in the morning, we should sleep while we can."

Ivan nodded. "Good idea."

Winter stood in front of Ivan for a few moments, trying her damnedest not to make eye contact. Without a word, she leaned up and planted a small kiss on Ivan's cheek, causing both of them to redden in the face. "Have a good night, SPARTAN." Winter said, smiling.

"You too, Specialist…" Ivan said, still trying to comprehend exactly what just happened.

Winter smiled as she stepped into her quarters, the door sliding shut behind her. Ivan let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding. He turned around, walking into his quarters. He dropped onto the rather soft bed, staring at the dimly-lit ceiling for a few minutes, eventually drifting off to sleep.

XXXXX

 **June 20, 2682; 1130 Hours**

 **UNSC** ** _Guardian_** **, Deck 7**

Ivan jolted awake as a series of hard bangs sounded against his door. He sat upright, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Ivan!" He heard Weiss's rather annoyingly shrill voice call out. Ivan let out a soft sigh, remembering what had happened last night. He quickly grabbed a t-shirt and slacks, throwing them on quickly. "Open this door!" Weiss called out again. "We need to have a team meeting, right now!"

"Give me one second." Ivan said, not really trying to conceal the annoyed tone in his voice. He sighed as he strode over to the door, prompting it to slide open. From behind the door came a very irritated-looking heiress, joined by Ruby. Ruby, much to Ivan's internal amusement, was giving him a very apologetic look as Weiss glared at him. "Do you have any idea how early it is?" Ivan asked, a small grin on his face.

"Team meeting. Now!" Weiss demanded, grabbing Ivan's arm and tugging him along. Ivan simply followed along, knowing full well that the heiress could never actually move him like this. He'd simply prefer not making her any more irritated. Weiss yanked him towards Blake and Yang's shared room, and proceeded to "knock" on their door. "Blake! Xiao Long! Team meeting, now!"

Weiss stood there, brooding as she waited for Blake and Yang to respond. Ivan looked down, seeing that Ruby was giving Ivan an apologetic look. Ivan simply shrugged. Just as Weiss was about to start banging on the door again, it slid open.

Behind the door stood a rather irritated-looking blonde and a very tired-looking Faunus. Yang's hair, while usually in a very unruly state, was even more-so right now. Strands stood up in all directions, giving her a very disheveled look. Blake looked slightly more… presentable, with her hair well under control. Both of them were still in their sleepwear, being a t-shirt and shorts for the blonde, and a black nightgown for the Faunus. "What's going on?" Blake asked, being slightly more composed than the Blonde. "Why were you blowing up my Scroll about Ivan?"

"We need to have a team meeting, immediately." Weiss said. "Ruby, could you get Winter for me?" Weiss asked, almost sweetly.

"Uhh… sure." Ruby said, stepping away, not taking her eyes off the Heiress.

Blake and Yang gave Ivan a questioning look as Weiss led them towards her and Ruby's shared room. Ivan simply gave them a "You'll See" look, earning a shrug from the pair. Weiss stepped into her room, the other three following behind. Ivan was unsurprised to find Weiss's belongings neatly stored away, with Ruby's simply scattered around the room. Ivan took a seat in one of the chairs, relaxing into it, much to the Heiress' irritation.

After a few moments of tense silence from the Heiress, and a slightly smug silence from Ivan, Ruby stepped into the room, with the elder Schnee sister following behind. Blake and Yang shot each other a look of confusion from their place on the small sofa as they watched Ivan and Winter give each other a knowing look, followed by a slight blush from Winter's end.

"Weiss…" Ivan began, sighing.

"Do you all know why we're here right now?" Weiss asked, looking around.

"Not a damn clue." Yang said, still slightly irritated after being woken up. "You mind explaining that to us, Schnee?"

"I told you this would happen." Winter said, looking to Ivan with a smile.

"That you did." Ivan said, laughing.

"This isn't funny!" Weiss said, looking to her sister and the SPARTAN.

"I dunno…" Ivan said, smiling. "You waking all of us up, just to let everyone know that Winter and I are dating is kinda funny."

"Seriously?" Blake deadpanned, looking at Weiss. "That was all this team meeting was for?"

"Why is this even such a big deal anyways?" Yang asked, finally starting to fully wake up.

"It… it's…" Weiss tried. "It's just weird!"

"Your sister happening to find a member of the opposite sex attractive is weird?" Blake asked, her eyebrow raised. "Aren't you like, twenty?" Blake asked, earning a nod from Winter.

"It's with Ivan though…" Weiss muttered under her breath.

"Hey, I can hear you, you know!" Ivan said, his voice only half-serious.

"What's so weird about Ivan?" Ruby asked, stifling a giggle.

"He's on our team!" Weiss defended.

"Blake and Yang, last I checked, are on our team." Ivan said.

"Yeah, they're _both_ on our team." Weiss responded.

"Weiss… what's the big deal?" Yang asked, giving the Heiress a strange look. "It's not like Ivan's a bad guy or anything."

"He's not, I just don't know how these two would work!" Weiss said, her voice beginning to recede back into its normal, whiny tone.

"Weiss, do you honestly think that I'd ever do anything… wrong in a situation like this? When have I ever steered you guys wrong?"

"How about the time you lied to us about who you were for almost a year." Weiss deadpanned, glaring at the SPARTAN.

"Still angry about that?" Ivan asked, his face completely stoic. "I already told you, my orders were very clear: Remain as inconspicuous as possible and avoid attention. Couldn't really do that if you guys knew I was a super-soldier from space, not with Ruby's big mouth at least." Ivan said, giving the shorter girl a joking glare. Ruby gave Ivan a small smile, mouthing " _sorry_ ".

"That doesn't change the fact that you lied to us." Weiss said, sounding almost betrayed.

"It was either lie, and keep the whole situation under control, or tell you the actual situation and let the entire operation that my superiors had planned crumble to bits." Ivan said, his words hardening. "How would the governments of Remnant have reacted to me? How would anyone have reacted to me? I didn't like keeping that a secret from you guys, you're my team after all, but I had to. Ever since that came out, I've done everything I can to be a hundred percent transparent with you guys. And I'm being one hundred percent transparent right now: I would never do anything to hurt you guys or Winter. Ever."

Weiss simply huffed in response, but eventually crumpled under the combined looks from the SPARTAN and the rest of Team RWBY. What truly got to her was Ruby's almost puppy-dog-eyed stare, that was the real killer. "Okay… you're right." Weiss said. "I'm sorry. That doesn't mean that I like you and Winter being together though."

"Thanks for having a little faith in your sister's decision-making, Weiss." Winter joked, giving her sister a playful side-hug. The younger Schnee simply rolled her eyes.

Yang sighed, which inevitably led to a yawn. "Well… now that that's dealt with, I'm going back to sleep."

"Same…" Blake said, following the blonde out of the room.

"Well…" Ivan said. "As if this day couldn't get any more awkward."

XXXXX

 **June 21, 2682; 1241 Hours**

 **UNSC** ** _Guardian_** **, Deck 5 (Sol System)**

The remainder of the trip was very uneventful. Weiss and Ruby simply explored the areas of the ship that were open to them, Blake and Yang spent most of it sleeping, and Winter spent it wondering just how a powerful super-soldier could be so damned awkward.

For being such a successful and downright terrifyingly effective soldier, Ivan was not exactly what Winter would call "experienced" with dealing with the opposite sex outside of military service. If he wasn't flubbing up every sentence he tried to speak in her presence, he was saying the most cringe-worthy things that Winter had ever heard come out of a Colonel's mouth. It was so uncharacteristic of someone of command, especially a soldier like Ivan. Winter found it absolutely adorable, in a funny way.

The remainder of their last day on _Guardian_ was certainly an uneventful one, with the exception of Winter having to explain the shrill yelling on the deck to General Ironwood. She had elected to stretch the truth a bit, simply saying that "it was a matter that Team RWBY needed to resolve." Thankfully, he let it rest at that.

While Team RWBY all sat around a table in a small lounge area on Deck 5, the window just to the right of the table changed from the pitch-black emptiness of Slipspace, revealing a truly breathtaking sight: Earth. The whole ship shuddered slightly as the Slipspace Core sliced a precision hole in Slipspace, allowing _Guardian_ to slip into Real Space.

Ivan watched with an amused smile as, once again, everyone's jaw practically hit the floor. He had seen these reactions before, and that was rather run-of-the-mill for a Remnant native seeing UNSC technology for the first time, but this was them seeing the full force of UNSC tech in service.

The relatively small green planet that Humanity had come to call home for its entire existence took up almost all of the viewport, giving the occupants of the room, which was most of Remnant's dignitaries sans a few from Vacuo, a view of it. The sun's rays were shining down on the Eastern Hemisphere, illuminating Europe, Africa, Western Asia, and most of the Middle East. Ivan felt a hint of nostalgia as he looked down to Humanity's birthplace, seeing the planet that he had once called home. The planet itself isn't what truly amazed the occupants of the deck, however, it was what was orbiting it.

Earth's massive Orbital Defense Network had expanded threefold, with well over 1,000 Orbital Defense Platforms resting in geosynchronous orbit with the planet. There were also hundreds of Exo-atmospheric hangars, holding the massive fighter defense for the UEG's Capital. There were well over two dozen orbital tethers reaching out from the surface of the planet, connected to either orbital shipyards or docking stations for civilian spacecraft. The fleet on the other hand… that was a different story.

Resting in plain view was the UNSC's Earth Defense Fleet, or EDF. The EDF was easily one of the largest fleets in the galaxy, numbering in at 600 active capital ships at cruiser weight or higher, with another 1500 ships between corvette and light cruiser weight. The fleet before them completely dwarfed anything that the Remnant natives ever thought possible, the fleet over Remnant was barely one hundredth the size of Earth's, and this fleet was barely one hundredth of the complete UNSC armada. The true pride of the EDF, however, was its flagship. Resting in the middle of the fleet, just over Europe from where _Guardian_ was situated, was a warship stretching 26 kilometers in length, made entirely of Forerunner Alloy. It completely dwarfed every UNSC ship around it, even the Infinity-Classes that were docked with it. It had a forked bow, with a set of coils near the base of the fork. It looked almost like a long tuning fork comprised of armored plates. Emblazoned on the Super-Dreadnought's side, in glorious iridescent white lettering, was _Light of Sol_.

"What… is that?" Weiss asked, completely awestruck.

"The _Light of Sol_." Ivan answered, smiling inwardly. "The UEG's pet project for the past two decades. It's an ancient warship we found drifting through dark space that we decided to tug back to Earth. We've been working on getting her to combat-ready status for the past fifteen years, and it's proving a bit harder than we thought. It's planned to be the flagship of the entire UNSC fleet once it's operational again."

"It doesn't work?" Winter asked, not taking her eyes off of the behemoth of war before her.

"Its engines and some of its guns work." Ivan answered. "Its main weapon, shields, sensors, communications, and a few other core systems are still non-functional. We simply don't have anything powerful enough to power the damn thing. It took six Deuterium Fusion Reactors that we'd usually put on something like _In Spirit of Fire_ just to get its engines online again, to give you an idea."

The natives of Remnant continued to stare at the marvel of engineering as _Guardian_ began descending towards the planet, almost excruciatingly slowly. Their destination was quite obvious now, seeing as they were currently on a descent vector towards Australia. Eventually, the densely populated continent's surface came into view.

As they stared down at the surface, Vale seemed like a small rural town in comparison to this planet. The cities that were visible from high-altitude seemed to span for hundreds of kilometers, their large buildings a testament to the level of engineering prowess required to design such a large city. Surprisingly, there was quite a bit of countryside scattered throughout the area, giving the technicolor skyline of the metropolises a contrasting green.

"Welcome to Sydney." Ivan said, smiling.

XXXXX

 **June 21, 2682; 1310 Hours**

 **Earth, Sydney**

 _Guardian_ set down in the Sydney Spaceport, located near the center of the large city. The Envoy ship itself locked in its drydock, connecting to the docking port and allowing the passengers off. Weiss, much to her annoyance, practically had to hold her bubbly partner back as they were cleared to step off the ship and onto the planet. The Spaceport was comically similar to an airport, even going so far as to have a few murals on the walls dedicated, presumably, to fallen pilots of past conflicts. Weiss was truly amazed with how far these murals went back, a few of the depicted aircraft being triplanes, biplanes, and a few monoplanes. Ironwood seemed especially interested in these aircraft, giving them a bit more than just a cursory glance. Weiss simply attributed it to an appreciation for military technology.

The terminal they disembarked into was guarded by a pair of SPARTAN IVs in black armor, both of them giving a salute to the passing dignitaries as they made their way towards the end of the long passageway. The captain of the ship seemed to be leading the group, since he obviously knew the procedures better than the newcomers. Yang and Blake looked on rather amusedly as Ruby seemed to dart her attention in every direction. Ivan seemed a bit more occupied explaining something to Winter and Ironwood, but she could never hope to overhear their conversation over the murmuring of the new arrivals.

As the hallway was crossed, the group stepped through a pair of metallic doors and into the main spaceport. It was rather sparse in this area, as it was generally reserved for the arrival of diplomatic vessels from other worlds. Weiss's eyes scanned over the group that seemed to await the arrival of Remnant's travelers. She saw a rather tall man with black hair, eyes so blue they could easily be mistaken for the surface of an ocean, and wearing a suit with a UEG pin on the lapel of his coat. Next to him was a girl with rather long strawberry-blonde hair, similarly blue eyes, and a very excited look on her face. She looked no older than Ruby, and about as equally excitable. As the group stepped through, her smile seemed to grow to touch her ears. Weiss was very easily able to tell that the first man and the young woman were related in some way, as their physical similarities were simply too great to deny the connection.

A few feet away from the young blonde stood a very interesting looking man. He wore a gray uniform of some kind, but it bore little resemblance to the UNSC's standard dress uniform. He had numerous medals across his chest, a few of them looking oddly familiar and in the shape of a very elegant and angled cross. He had light brown hair, a rather impressively-kept mustache, and cleanly kept, side-swept hair. Weiss knew the stance this man had, he was obviously royalty, or close to it. As Weiss continued looking around the room, her gaze stopped on one being, this same being causing her to tense up and her pulse to quicken despite her still-limited exposure to this species. She completely stopped in her tracks, lucky enough to not draw any attention, as the rest of the group stopped as well.

Before her stood a massive alien, standing at well over eight feet tall. It wore ornate runic armor, giving it a very imposing and ancient appearance. Its arched neck formed into a head with four hinged mandibles, each lined with sharpened teeth. It had… terrifyingly perceptive eyes that seemed to scan over every inch of the new arrivals. Its gray, reptilian skin made Weiss' own crawl once its gaze shifted over to her, remembering her close encounter with an alien like this. Weiss recognized this Sangheili as the Arbiter, still wearing the runic armor that she had seen him in all those months ago. Weiss snapped back into reality when she heard the gray-uniformed human with medals on his chest begin speaking up.

"Welcome to Earth." He said, stepping forward, a small smile on his face. "My name is Manfred Engel, President of the United Earth Government." Weiss's posture stiffened as she realized just how important this man was. "It's a pleasure to finally meet all of you, and it's a pleasure to have you in this wonderful city. It's an honor to have our long-lost people returning to their home." The President strode over to the leadership of Remnant's kingdoms, as they had grouped themselves together, and began greeting them personally, answering any questions that they threw at him in the process.

Weiss' attention was grabbed as she heard the young woman standing next to the suited man happily shout out a familiar name. "Ivan!" She said, running over and wrapping the notably taller SPARTAN in a tight hug.

"Oof…" Ivan grunted, feeling the shorter girl wrap her arms around his torso. Ivan quickly smiled, reciprocating the embrace, lifting the girl off the ground in the process. "Hey, kiddo!" Ivan said, happily. "How've you been?"

"Great!" She said, finally letting the SPARTAN go.

Before Ivan could respond further, the suited man made his way over, standing just a few inches shorter than Ivan. He looked at least twenty years older than the SPARTAN, but still had a sense of youth to his step. He had his hands clasped behind his back, a stone-cold expression on his face. "SPARTAN Chesnokov." He said, nodding.

"Senator Chesnokov." Ivan returned the nod, a smile quickly spreading to his face. All of team RWBY looked on in confusion, surprised by the older man's response.

"Goddamn, it's good to see you again, son." He said, pulling Ivan into a bear hug.

Ivan grunted, a smile still on his face. "Good to see you too, dad."

"Care to introduce me to your team?" The older man asked, gesturing to the four huntresses.

Ivan smiled. "Everyone, this is my father, Senator Sergei Chesnokov. Dad, this is Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang." He said, gesturing to each of them in turn. "And this would be my little sister, Sasha."

"It's an honor to meet you all." Sergei said, smiling. "I've heard quite a bit about you from the few Waypoint calls that Ivan was able to make."

"I didn't know your father was a Senator, Ivan." Blake said, looking to the SPARTAN.

"Senator, and Majority Leader." Ivan corrected. "My father's one of the founding members of the Liberty Party in Parliament."

"Which also happens to be the largest party right now." Sergei added, proudly.

Winter was finally able to break away from Ironwood, making her way over towards the huntresses and SPARTAN. "Hey, Winter." Ivan said, smiling. "Meet my Father and sister, Sergei and Sasha."

"A pleasure to meet you." Winter said, respectfully. She shook Sergei's outstretched hand.

"A pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Winter…?"

"Schnee, Weiss' older sister." Winter responded.

"Well, it would appear that the prodigal SPARTAN has returned." A rather deep, booming voice commented from behind the Huntresses. Everyone turned to look at the source of the voice, Weiss tensing up in the process. Before them stood the visage of The Arbiter, his runic armor giving him an ancient and powerful appearance as he towered over most of the Humans before him.

"Arbiter, it's an honor to see you again." Ivan said, bowing his head slightly as he clasped a closed fist over his heard.

"The honor is my own, SPARTAN." The Arbiter said, his mandibles forming a Sangheili equivalent to a grin as he returned the gesture. "From what I've heard, you and this team of young huntresses have been rather busy on Remnant." As the Arbiter spoke, he looked over each of the four huntresses before him. His eyes stopped at Weiss, seeing that she had tensed up, her hand unconsciously hovering over Myrtenaster's grip. The Sangheili cocked his head, looking at the Heiress.

Ruby looked over to her partner, seeing her tensed stance. She stepped a bit closer to the Heiress, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Weiss seemed to relax at this, but she still felt her pulse quicken as the Arbiter looked at her. "Are you well, Miss Schnee?" The Arbiter asked.

"I-I'm fine." Weiss said, attempting to put some force behind her words.

"Your tone and stance betray you." The Arbiter said. His words seemed more calm and reserved than the Heiress expected. "Still troubled by your encounter?"

"It's nothing." Weiss said, earning a glance from Ivan.

"Ah… Of course. I have spent enough time around Humans to know when you are attempting civility and politeness." The Arbiter commented. Weiss remained calm on the exterior, but the Arbiter's words were certainly bringing up some memories that she had tried her best to forget. "I am regretful that your first encounter with one my kind went in such a way. I do not expect your opinion or distrust of my kind to change overnight, it certainly did not once the Great War came to a close. I simply hope that you come to realize that you encountered a single Sangheili, not a representative of our species."

The Arbiter turned to Sergei, looking to change the subject to something a bit more agreeable. "Mister Chesnokov, I trust that you will be joining us for the talks tomorrow morning?"

"Indeed I will." Sergei responded, nodding. "We still have to set up the voting system for Remnant's kingdoms, so we've got one hell of a debate ahead of us."

"And I need to attempt to forge better relations after the incident with Covenant Storm." The Arbiter said, sighing. "Even after a century of conflict, we have yet to stamp them out. Those damned Brutes keep harboring their forces. And the Council refuses to let me act." The Arbiter sighed, shaking his head. "Enough out of me, you didn't come here to listen to the ramblings of an old warrior." He turned to the huntresses, giving them all a respectful bow. "A pleasure to see all of you again. I hope we can have the privilege of talking more in the future." With that, the Arbiter turned and made his way over towards the President.

As the Arbiter left, Weiss almost visibly relaxed. Ruby placed a comforting hand on Weiss' shoulder again. Weiss almost leaned into the gesture, remembering that Ruby was also the one who helped her against that Field Marshall. Weiss turned to Ruby, giving her a small smile, which the younger girl returned.

Sergei cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention again. "Do you all have a place to stay while you're in Sydney?"

"Didn't the UEG provide hotel suites for us?" Yang asked, looking around. She was silently grateful that the Arbiter had left and that Ivan's father had changed the subject, it certainly helped ease the tension.

Sergei scoffed. "That was an empty promise. Sydney is the capital of Earth, every suite is reserved for months. Even if you managed to find one, it's not even close to being comfortable. Stay with us."

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked, looking towards Sergei.

"You've all fought and bled alongside my son, saved his life, and were surprisingly understanding when he finally showed who he really was. As far as I'm concerned, that makes you all as close to family as you can get without actually being family."

"We wouldn't want to impose." Blake said.

"Nonsense." Sergei said, shaking his head. "We have more than enough space in our home to accommodate you. It's certainly better than a hotel."

"Only if you're absolutely sure." Weiss said.

"I'm rarely not." Sergei responded with a smile.

"Winter?" Ivan asked. "The offer stands with you too."

"I'm afraid that I'm still stuck with Ironwood." Winter responded, shrugging. "I'll see if I can't get away, though." Winter gave Ivan a small smile as she spoke.

"I look forward to it." Ivan said, returning the smile.

"Well, let me finish up here and we can be off." Sergei said. "Ivan, you and your team can ride with Sasha, since her car can actually handle more than three people."

"Do you drive my car?" Ivan asked, giving his father an incredulous look.

"Only when I'm running late." Sergei responded with a smile.

XXXXX

 **June 21, 2682; 1350 Hours**

 **Sydney, Earth**

Ivan climbed out of the passenger's seat of his younger sister's car. It was pretty clear that this car wasn't designed to accommodate genetically altered super soldiers, since his head scraped the ceiling, even with the seat as low as he could get it. Team RWBY spent the entire ride looking out the window, marveling at the city around them. There were buildings both old and new, a prime example of old being the Opera House, standing proudly on the edge of the city by the coast. Sasha had driven by it on Ivan's suggestion.

The ride took about twenty minutes, eventually coming into a surprisingly suburban area on the outskirts of Sydney. The green countryside of Australia gave way to small villages on the bank of a canal, The Chesnokov household being their stopping point. The small town it occupied was rather small, only having a population of about 20,000. The house they had stopped at was a rather comfortable-looking two story structure made in a very post-modern design. It had white walls on the outside, was very angular, and had a few mid-sized windows on the walls.

Ruby and Yang obviously seemed to enjoy the ride, since they got to experience the highways at full speed in a rather fast UEG-made sedan. Weiss was surprising, she certainly seemed to enjoy the ride, even asking Sasha about her car. Blake didn't enjoy the "100 kilometers per hour is slow" part of the ride, however. Ivan gave his sister a smile as she stepped out of her car. "Taking some driving tips from me, huh?" He asked.

"Yep!" Sasha happily responded.

"I'm proud of you." Ivan said, laughing. "Still can't believe that Dad drives my car around, though."

"What's so special about your car?" Weiss asked. Ivan was truly surprised to learn that Weiss was interested in cars.

"Sasha's car has about six hundred horsepower… mine has around 1400 and has a 1:1 horsepower to weight ratio."

Weiss nearly choked on the air she was breathing. "What?! How?!"

"Hydrogen fuel cell engines and some really stupid modifications on my part." Ivan responded, grinning.

"So that's how your dad beat us?" Yang asked, gesturing to the black BMW sitting on the side of the yard.

"Pretty much." Ivan responded, walking towards the front door. He opened the door, allowing the others in first. As they stepped inside, a rather large canine made his way over towards the door, immediately running up to the newcomers, looking for attention. He was a German Shepard with brown and black fur, and a very happy expression on his face.

"Aww…" Ruby said, kneeling down and petting the dog, who responded by happily licking her face. "He's so cute!"

The dog, upon seeing Ivan, immediately bolted over to him and jumped up on him. Thanks to Ivan's height, he was able to avoid most of the dog's slobbery affection, but that didn't stop him. Ivan happily scratched his dog's head. "Good to see you too, buddy."

Blake practically climbed up Yang's side, earning a laugh from Ivan and Yang alike. "Blake, get down." Yang said, still smiling.

"Nope." Blake responded, clinging to her girlfriend's side.

"You don't like dogs?" Sasha asked, unaware of what was actually beneath the onyx-haired girl's bow.

"Not really." Blake responded.

"He wouldn't hurt a fly." Ivan responded, letting the shepherd go. "Alright, I'll show you guys to the guest rooms." Ivan said, leading the four huntresses upstairs. Blake finally let go of Yang once the German Shepard meandered back towards the living room, hopping up on the couch and laying down.

Ivan showed Ruby and Weiss to one of the two guest rooms, which was rather Spartan in its design. It had a bed, a flattened screen against the wall, a pair of nightstands, a lamp on each nightstand, and a rather sizable closet. Weiss and Ruby excused themselves to unpack their things. Blake and Yang's provided room was quite literally identical to the other guest room, with the exception of the floor being hardwood as opposed to carpet.

Once everyone had made their way into their respective rooms, Ivan walked down the small hallway and through his own door. His old room looked exactly as he remembered it, just cleaner than usual. He had a rather plain-looking bed with white sheets, a desk off in the corner with a computer terminal atop it, a bookshelf containing various novels and trinkets, a single screen mounted on the wall across from his bed, and a closet containing all of his old clothes. Ivan haphazardly tossed his bag onto the bed and set to work on removing his dress uniform, replacing it with a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

Ivan stepped back into the hallway after he finished folding up his uniform. He found that the rest of Team RWBY had chosen to change into far more casual attire as well. Yang wore a pair of shorts and a yellow t-shirt, while Blake wore a simple pair of black jeans and a similarly black t-shirt. Weiss' definition of casual was far different from that of the rest of her team, as she was wearing a dress similar to her usual outfit, but lacking the more ornate lace hem, it was simply a flowing blue dress. Ruby wore a pair of jeans, a red t-shirt, and her normal hood. "And here I was thinking you guys would stick out like sore thumbs here on Earth." Ivan joked. "Anything in particular you guys want to do? We've basically got two weeks of vacation time to burn."

"I kinda wanted to just look around the city." Blake responded, shrugging.

"She's lying." Yang responded, elbowing Blake softly. "She wanted to go look for a bookstore." Blake simply rolled her eyes, not denying the blonde's claim.

"I was looking to see some of the historical sites." Weiss responded.

"Plenty of those." Ivan responded, smiling. "I'll be happy to take you guys to look around the city tomorrow."

"Don't you have a psych evaluation?" Weiss asked.

"That's next week." Ivan responded, shrugging. "In the meantime, I have video games downstairs, and we have some friendships to destroy."


	18. Chapter 18: Sydney

**Chapter 18: Sydney**

 **June 21, 2682; 2301 Hours**

Ivan groaned as he tossed the controller onto the table. He just had his ass handed to him by Yang and Ruby for the third time in a row in a game he, at one point, thought he was relatively good at. He had narrowly beaten the two sisters in the first round, since they were getting used to actually controlling their tank avatar, but they quickly started overtaking him. The game was focused on armored, aerial, and naval warfare from the 20th and 21st centuries, with Ivan, Ruby, and Yang choosing to drive tanks, Blake choosing to captain a prototype H-44 Battleship, and Weiss choosing to fly the American F-100 Super Sabre.

Ivan was driving a King Tiger tank with the Henschel turret, while Ruby drove an M46 Patton and Yang drove an IS-2 mod. 1944. Ivan's rather weak turret cheek armor was easy pickings for Yang's 122mm HEAT shells, more often than not eliciting the occasional curse from the SPARTAN as his ammo rack cooked off. Ruby used the mobility of her medium tank to simply flank around the SPARTAN, putting a normal APCBC round through his tank's engine deck. Weiss seemed to be enjoying using her aircraft's supersonic capabilities to outrun the other aircraft, followed by the performing of an Immelmann maneuver to quickly change directions and start engaging the air targets. Ivan was rather surprised by how well Weiss picked up the mechanics of aerial dogfighting, but decided not to comment. Blake simply slugged 18-inch shells into the side of smaller ships, watching their citadels go up in flames in the process. "Get fucked, Ivan!" Yang said, happily as she sent an AP shell into the side armor of Ivan's Leopard I that he had switched into, hoping to level the playing field.

"Goddamnit!" Ivan said, sighing. "Are you sure your armor isn't made of Stalinium?"

"What?" Yang asked.

"Nothing…" Ivan said, chuckling. "I can't help but feel like you guys are ganging up on me for some strange reason."

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Weiss asked, going into a steep dive and launching four dumbfire rockets into the roof of Ivan's freshly-spawned Panther II.

"Weiss… you're too good." Ivan said as her Super Sabre quickly pulled up, darting off towards the sky at supersonic speeds. "Are you sure you're not a closet nerd like I am?"

"I'd never have the time to waste on pointless games like this." Weiss defended. "It must just be beginner's luck."

"You sure about that one, Schnee?" Yang taunted. "I think we're turning you into a proper teenager. Whatever will you do, now that you're starting to act like a normal teenage girl?"

"I've always been perfectly capable of acting like a 'normal' person, thank you very much." Weiss retorted. Blake simply gave a laugh in response.

"At least I'm not the only one getting ganged up on now." Ivan joked, checking his datapad. "Holy shit, it's midnight?"

"What?!" Weiss asked, looking at her Scroll, which barely has the functionality of a clock this far away from Remnant.

"Well… that's all for me tonight." Ivan said, standing upright and cracking his back. "G'night, guys. Remember to be up bright and early tomorrow… or today, I guess."

"What for?" Yang asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"You all wanted to see the city, right?" Ivan asked. "I know where I'm taking you."

"And where would that be?" Weiss asked.

"The Museum of Humanity." Ivan answered with a smile. He allowed himself a yawn as he cracked his knuckles.

Yang let out a yawn as Ivan turned to climb the stairs up to the second floor. She gave Blake a look, which earned a nod from the Faunus as she stood up. "Don't stay up too late, Rubes." Yang said, following behind Blake as they made their way towards their room.

Weiss sighed as she placed her controller on the table. She stood upright, straightening out her dress as she did so. "Coming, Ruby?" Weiss asked.

Ruby nodded, standing up and following behind Weiss. They made their way back into their provided room, Weiss flopping down onto the bed with a sigh. After a few moments of rather uncharacteristic silence from her partner, Weiss looked up, finding Ruby to be standing there, a look on her face like she wanted to ask something of the Heiress. "Ruby?" Weiss asked, causing the younger girl to jump slightly. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah… I just…" Ruby tried, Weiss giving her a nod as she spoke, silently urging her to continue. "About what happened earlier… did you want to talk about it?" Weiss's expression immediately turned sour, causing Ruby to backpedal. "O-only if you want to, that is."

Weiss let her face soften, letting out a sigh. "I'm quite alright, Ruby."

"You didn't seem alright when we saw that Arbiter guy." Ruby said, taking a seat next to Weiss on the bed.

"I said I'm fine." Weiss snapped, causing Ruby to shrink back. Weiss immediately felt guilty when she saw the look on Ruby's face, making her appear almost like a kicked puppy. Weiss let out a shaky breath, her voice slightly softer than usual. "I'm sorry, Ruby…" Weiss began. "I… I was just afraid."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, giving the heiress a look of genuine concern.

"A-after what happened when Vale got attacked…" Weiss began, her voice shaking slightly. "Seeing another one of those things, even if it was just the Arbiter…"

As Ruby noticed Weiss' voice breaking, she pulled the heiress into an embrace, causing her to tense up momentarily before finally wrapping her own arms around Ruby. "It's okay, Weiss." Ruby said, squeezing the heiress.

Weiss was rather grateful that Ruby couldn't see her face, as a few tears had started to well up in her eyes. She wasn't used to this kind of physical contact, especially in this setting, but her partner's genuine caring nature made it comforting. For most of her life, Weiss was restricted to her home in Atlas, only having the hired help to talk to whenever her father wasn't home, which was quite often. The Schnee family employees weren't pleasant to talk to, since it was their _job_ to care about Weiss, none of it was genuine.

Ruby was the exact opposite. Ever since Weiss had met Ruby, all she wanted to do was befriend the heiress, despite how much Weiss tried to push her away at first. Weiss had developed a keen sense of when people were simply being nice to her because of her name, hoping to win some favor with her or her family. Try as she might to find those telltale signs in Ruby's actions, there were none. Ruby _genuinely_ , _legitimately_ cared about the ivory-haired heiress whom, at first, had done everything in her power to push the bubbly girl away.

The realization that Weiss had made an actual, close friend during her time at Beacon, the fact that this same friend had been doing everything she could to make the heiress happy since the day they met, and the knowledge that this same friend cared enough about her to pull her into a hug and tell her that everything was okay, had finally allowed Weiss to open up and be… her. In a final culmination of the emotions that Weiss had been subjected to over the past few hours, she broke down into tears, openly sobbing into Ruby's shoulder.

Ruby was slightly surprised by the sudden shift in the heiress, but quickly recovered. She squeezed the heiress lightly, looking to soothe her. Weiss simply buried herself in Ruby's shoulder, her sobs barely audible. "Shh…" Ruby whispered, lightly rubbing Weiss's back. "You're okay…"

"I'm not okay…" Weiss said in-between sobs. "I'm scared to death of a stupid alien! I'm a Huntress! How can I be a Huntress if I can't even look at a stupid walking lizard without freezing up like a scared child?!"

"Weiss…" Ruby said, still tracing comforting patterns on the heiress' back. "You nearly died when that thing grabbed you." Ruby spoke, her voice beginning to break as well. "If anyone has an excuse to be afraid, it's you. I-I was afraid too."

"You were afraid?" Weiss asked, sitting up and looking at Ruby. Her eyes were noticeably reddened, and the trail lines of tears were visible on her cheeks. "You didn't get choked by a giant alien… you charged at it."

"I was afraid that you were going to die, Weiss." Ruby said, tears welling up in her eyes. "You're my best friend… I couldn't bear something like that happening to you."

Weiss simply stared at Ruby for a few moments, finally pulling her partner into a close embrace. "Thank you, Ruby." Weiss said, nearly whispering.

"Of course, Weiss…" Ruby said, returning the hug. "We're friends…I wouldn't' just let you deal with this alone. If you need anything, let me know." Ruby gave Weiss a genuine smile, which the heiress found very infectious.

Weiss sniffled slightly, wiping the tears from her eye with the tips of her fingers. "Thank you, Ruby… that means a lot to me." Weiss sat in comfortable silence with Ruby's hands still on her shoulders for a few moments. "I think I'm going to get changed." Weiss said, prompting Ruby to let go of the heiress.

"Me too." Ruby said, the familiar energy returning to her voice.

Weiss stood up, grabbing a set of nightwear from her bag as Ruby grabbed her pajamas and tank top from her own suitcase. Weiss excused herself by ducking out of the room and into the hallway, heading for the restroom that Ivan had pointed out earlier in the day. Weiss stepped into the bathroom, unsurprised by the automatic lights. She quickly glanced at herself in the mirror. Her usual icy, calm exterior had been replaced by reddened, puffy eyes and the telltale signs of fallen tears.

Even after leaving the room and distancing herself from the feeling of being close to Ruby, she couldn't shake an unfamiliar feeling in her chest. Her heart was beating far faster than normal. Crying wasn't something that was new to the heiress. Sure it was rare, but it wasn't new. Usually, after this much time, her heartrate would have calmed down a bit. Right now, it felt like her heart was about to beat out of her chest. She shook her head, forcing the feeling down as she removed her dress and replaced it with her familiar blue nightgown. She quickly gathered up her removed clothes and stepped back outside, making her way back into the room. She found Ruby to be just finishing pulling her shirt on over her head, and gave the girl a small smile. "So how are we going to handle the sleeping arrangements?" Ruby asked, seeing that there was only one bed and a pair of cushioned chairs. "I could put the two chairs together and sleep on-"

"Actually…" Weiss interrupted. "I wouldn't mind if we shared the bed, it's big enough anyways."

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked. "It's no big deal."

"I'm sure, Ruby." Weiss said, smiling. The prospect of sleeping in the same bed as Ruby, even as friends, sent another quick heartbeat to the heiress' chest. She worked to suppress the blush that came about after she suggested that Ruby and her _sleep together_. They had done it on the ship, only because of the lack of space on the deck, why was it eliciting this feeling now?

Weiss pulled one corner of the covers back, sliding underneath. Ruby followed suit once she flicked the light switch into its 'off' position, albeit slightly more awkwardly. "Good night, Weiss." Ruby said once she finished getting situated.

"Good night, Ruby… " Weiss replied, laying down fully. She laid in comfortable silence for a few moments. "And thank you."

XXXXX

 **June 22, 97,445 B.C.E.**

 ** _Mantle's Light_** **, Bridge**

"Admiral?" An ensign aboard the Dreadnought asked his commanding officer. "We'll be arriving at the Greater Ark in ten minutes."

Echo of Wandering Stars let out a sigh from his position at the helm of his flagship, _Guardian Eternal_. "Prepare all shield generators, prime all Hard Light Projectors and set the fleet to Combat Alert Status."

"Yes, Admiral!" The ensign replied, returning to his station.

"Soleia?" Echo asked, prompting his Ancillary friend to shimmer into existence next to his command terminal.

"Yes?" She asked. Echo felt a twinge of guilt as he looked upon her Hard-Light form. Had it not been for his idiocy, she could have lived the remainder of her life in the relative peace that Erde Tyrene offered… he just had to get involved and ruin any chance of her finding peace. Thanks to his idiocy, she was destined to live as an Ancilla for the remainder of her existence, likely going Rampant far before her core components are whittled away in the emptiness of the Void.

"Open a fleet-wide communication… I need to address my men." Echo said, sighing deeply.

"Of course, Echo." Soleia responded, doing her best to give a comforting smile at her Forerunner friend's dejected expression. "Channel open."

Echo took a deep breath, speaking almost directly to Soleia, as she was the communication conduit that connected his ship to the rest of the fleet. "Brothers and Sisters… We are eight minutes out from the defining point of Galactic history. Today, at the site of the Greater Ark, is the Forerunner's final chance for redemption from the crimes we have committed against the sacred tenants of the Mantle. It is here where we will send the Parasite back into the void from whence it came, as is our sacred duty as warriors."

"The Didact has ordered the deployment of the Rings… It is here, here in this small pocket of space around our great Galaxy where the Forerunners will stand their ground. It is our duty to defend the Greater Ark, buying our comrades enough time to fire the array. I could never have asked more of my men… you have all served the Mantle with undying pride and I am honored to say that I have served you, as your Fleetmaster. May the Mantle's light guide us through oblivion."

"Admiral, we're leaving the Slipstream now!" The helmsman shouted, drawing Echo's attention to the holographic viewport on the wall. Thousands of IFFs appeared on the screen, all of them Forerunner. Echo's face contorted into a look of pure rage as he watched ships infested with the vile Parasite firing upon the ships of the Ark's defense fleet. Echo spoke one final time to the four hundred ships under his command. "All ships, fire at will! Burn the Parasite from the face of our galaxy!"

XXXXX

 **June 22, 2682; 0625 Hours**

 **Earth, Sydney**

Ivan jolted awake, drawing in a breath that his sleeping form had neglected to let him take in. He was almost completely drenched in sweat, causing his sheets to stick to his skin slightly. He looked down at himself, letting out a sigh of relief to find that his body was still a combination of Human and Machine. His organic arm was trembling heavily, his muscles feeling like they were made of cement. A dream like that was far too real… he _was_ Echo of Wandering Stars. He didn't have any knowledge of the events, what his imprint looked like, what he did… this dream was simply showing him _exactly_ what happened, like a video playing through his own mind.

Ivan haphazardly threw the covers off of himself, standing upright through the creaks in his bones. He ducked into the small bathroom that was connected to his room, throwing his clothes into a pile in the corner of the room after closing and locking the door. He pressed the little display on the inside of the shower, letting the disgustingly cold water wash over him. He stood under the freezing water for a few moments before it finally heated up. Ivan simply stood under the now-scalding water for a few minutes before finally shutting it off and stepping out.

The entire bathroom, unsurprisingly, was filled with steam. Ivan shuffled over towards the mirror, wiping the condensation away with his organic arm. He stared at the small, mirco-movements that his synthetic iris was making as it adjusted to the low light level in the room.

XXXXX

 **June 22, 97,445 B.C.E.**

 ** _Mantle's Light_** **, Bridge**

"Admiral! We have Flood Infestation on Decks one through eighteen!" A bridge ensign shouted out. His fleet had fought valiantly, felling hundreds of the attacking Parasite's commandeered ships. The defending Forerunners eventually crumbled under the combined assault of the Flood's armada, forcing them to begin retreating. The Didact ordered the deployment of the Composer, converting the Human population of one of the fledgling Halo Rings into his sickening Prometheans. Soleia had voiced her concern during the height of the battle, with Echo nearly spitting at the mere thought of the Didact's disgustingly mutant face giving such a barbaric order. Once all of the Rings had entered through the massive Slipspace portals projected by the Greater Ark's inner ring, the fleet began evacuating the area. Echo offered to take any volunteering vessels to hold the line and cover the Librarian's retreat from the system.

"What are we doing?" Soleia asked, materializing next to Echo.

" _You're_ going back into the Domain." Echo said, his voice calm and level. "You'll be safe from the Parasite's corruptive essence there."

"Echo… absolutely not!" Soleia near-shouted. "I'm not abandoning you here!"

Echo sighed, pulling up a small projected terminal from his command interface. He pressed a few keys on the holographic glyphs, twisting the intricate-looking ball of Forerunner glyphs as he worked with the machine. "I'm sorry, Soleia." He said, making the final keystroke.

"Echo! No-" Soleia was cut off as a small portion of the Bridge's main terminal ejected an AI core, wrapping it in a Slipspace portal, and sending it to the Forerunner Domain, deep within the Slipstream.

Echo let out a shaky breath. "Ensign… how many ships do we have?"

"Four Gargantua-Class Dreadnoughts are currently in critical condition and venting atmosphere… other than that, we're all that's left. Our mission is complete, Admiral." The Ensign responded, giving the Admiral a look that combined both respect and admiration.

"You have done well, soldier." Echo said, placing a hand on the ensign's shoulder. "I only wish your life did not have to meet its end like this."

"I've accepted it, Admiral… as has the rest of the crew." He responded. "We knew the risks when we left the Core Systems."

Echo sighed, hearing the secondary Ancilla aboard the ship speak up over the intercom. "Attention! Flood Spores detected on Decks One through Thirty Six! Ship corruption imminent!"

Echo steeled himself for the final order of his long career, standing upright and clasping his hands behind his back. "Secondary Ancilla… Initiate Singularity Core overload and self-destruct. Lower all containment fields to maximize the blast."

"Admiral Clearance is required for such an order." The rudimentary AI responded.

"Echo of Wandering Stars. Clearance is as follows: Through tides of light and the vastness of the Void, I give the order for this ship to return to where it began… Dust."

"Clearance accepted, Admiral." The Ancilla responded. "Thank you for your loyal service, Echo of Wandering Stars. May the Mantle's light guide you in this life and the next."

Echo felt the entire ship shudder beneath his feet as he turned to look at the holographic viewport for one final moment. The last thing his eyes would ever see, one single blinding flash, silenced by a wave of darkness and silence.

XXXXX

 **June 22, 2682; 0638 Hours**

 **Earth, Sydney**

Ivan let out a gasp as he staggered back from the mirror, almost slipping on the dampened floor. He was unsure of how long he was subject to that vision, but the condensation had almost completely cleared from the mirror's surface of its own volition. He quickly gathered his change of clothes and threw them on, haphazardly. He stepped back into his room, mentally steeling himself for a moment.

Ivan called upon his Semblance, causing tendrils of black Slipstream energy to dance across his hands. He called his helmet into Real Space, but chose to have it assemble itself on the end of his room's small nightstand. Once the helmet was completely constructed, he silenced the hungry energy of the Slipstream, turning to the helmet, staring at it for a moment. "Soleia!" He called, unsure if he was speaking in his own voice.

In an instant, his helmet's Hard Light Projector flickered to life, projecting the image of Soleia in her flowing white dress outwards. "Yes, SPARTAN?" Soleia asked. "Is something wrong?"

"What the hell was that?!" Ivan asked, gesturing towards the bathroom, then to his head. "What did I see?"

"What _did_ you see, SPARTAN?" Soleia asked, truly ignorant of what the SPARTAN was making reference to.

"I saw… I saw Echo of Wandering Stars." Ivan said. "It's like… I was living the last few minutes of his life through his eyes."

Ivan's words brought something out of Soleia. Her expression went from completely neutral to one of concern. "How… how much did you see?"

"I saw… I saw him prepare his men for a battle around something called 'The Greater Ark'." Ivan responded, his words coming out slightly faster than normal. "Then… I saw him give the order to overload his ship's drive core when the Flood breached the hull."

"So that's how you went…" Soleia quietly mused to herself, her expression becoming somber.

"You didn't know?" Ivan asked, sitting on the edge of his bed, trying to control his breathing.

"I knew he was gone… I felt it rippling through the Domain when the Greater Ark was destroyed." Soleia responded. "I never knew how it happened… his memories that were stored in the Domain were kept under a tight lock by the Librarian."

"It's weird…" Ivan mused, pinching the bridge of his nose. "After going through that… It's like I understand everything that he knew."

"That is your Geas… you carry the collective memories of Echo." Soleia explained. "For all intents and purposes, you _are_ Echo."

"Am I still me?" Ivan asked, only realizing how ridiculous that question was after he asked it.

"Of course you are." Soleia responded. "The Geas does not override one's own created memories, it simply allows for the long-term storage of another being's memories and traits across several generations. Your memories and personality are your own, you simply happen to carry Echo's with you as well."

"How much will that happen to me?" Ivan asked, gesturing to the bathroom again.

"As many times as your Geas may find it necessary." Soleia responded, cryptically. "There is never a definite answer."

Ivan sighed, flopping back onto his bed. "Christ…"

"I'm sorry that you had to experience that now." Soleia responded. "But… the Librarian implanted your genetic line with that Geas for a reason. Likewise, there is a reason that it chose to manifest with you."

"Thanks, Soleia." Ivan said, sitting upright again. Just as quick as it came, the headaches and light-headedness were gone.

"Of course, SPARTAN." Soleia responded, smiling. "I wouldn't let this damage the time you could be spending with your friends." She said, gesturing to the clock on the nightstand.

Ivan grinned. "I don't plan on it."

XXXXX

 **June 22, 2682; 0900 Hours**

 **Earth, Sydney**

Ivan made his way downstairs, unsurprised to find everyone up and about. Ruby and Weiss were sitting on the couch in the living room, Weiss happily playing with Ivan's German Shepherd. Blake and Yang were sitting at the end of a table with Sasha, holding a seemingly interesting conversation. As it was the middle of summer, most of them were dressed as such. It was mostly shorts, and t-shirts, with a sleeveless dress for the heiress. Ivan had exchanged his rather haphazard change of clothes for a pair of shorts and a black UNSC t-shirt.

"Look who's finally awake, Mister 'Bright and Early'!" Yang joked as Ivan descended the stairs.

"Yeah, yeah, keep talkin' blondie." Ivan responded with a grin. "Y'all ready?"

"Where are we going?" Ruby asked, excitement quickly becoming apparent in her voice.

"I figured, since Weiss wanted to see some historical sites and the rest of you wanted to explore the city, we could do both." Ivan said, grabbing his car's keys from the counter. "Downtown Sydney's like a twenty five minute drive from here, and it's got all of that: city and history."

"Isn't Downtown like forty minutes away?" Sasha asked, giving Ivan a quizzical expression.

"If you drive like a bitch." Ivan responded with a laugh. "Let's go!"

Everyone stood up and followed behind Ivan. Amusingly enough, Blake stuck as close to Yang as possible, as the dog had started following them towards the door. Ivan walked outside, pressing the keyless entry's unlock button twice to unlock all four doors on his car. "Now… it can fit all five of us if Blake or Yang sit in shotgun."

"Why's that?" Blake asked, eyeing the four-door car.

"Because the backseat is pretty tiny…" Ivan confessed. "Personal modification. I needed to reduce the weight."

"Why?" Blake asked.

"I needed to go fast." Ivan said with a wide grin, sitting down in the driver's seat.

"How fast can the car go?" Weiss asked, taking the right-most seat in the passenger area, with Ruby taking the middle and Yang taking the left. "1400 horsepower, right?"

"Well, the car comes stock at 900 Horsepower." Ivan explained. "It's a BMW M6, but I threw a Porsche-Maybach engine into it, jumping it up to 1300 horsepower. Tossed in a few aftermarket parts, and now the thing can do zero to three hundred to zero again in under eighteen seconds."

Weiss went wide-eyed at the concept of a car simply being _that_ disgustingly fast. Ivan let out a small smile at Weiss' response, and responded by pressing the ignition, causing the hilariously overpowered engine to rev to life. Ivan backed out carefully, and got on the road headed towards the city. He remained well within the speed limit for most of the early ride, much to Ruby's dejection. Unsurprisingly, the young huntress liked the idea of going _really_ fast without her Semblance. Blake seemed far more at ease, seeing that Ivan was deciding to follow the speed limit. That changed the instant that Ivan pulled onto the highway.

Once Ivan pulled onto the Earth equivalent to Vale's highway system, He slammed down on the accelerator. The car went from around 50 kilometers per hour, to just under three hundred in the span of about six seconds. Ivan laughed as he saw the expression on the Faunus' face, along with the happy expression on Ruby's face. Weiss looked more impressed than anything, and Yang seemed to be enjoying the look of pure terror on Blake's face. While most of the eight-lane highway had an "advisory" speed limit, with some areas having an enforced speed limit, Ivan knew these areas well.

After a mere four minutes of Ivan's own personal brand of "controlled reckless driving", the rather large city of Sydney came into view. Ever since the reformation of the UEG, the city had become the permanent location of the civilian government of humanity. Sydney's city limits technically stretched down to Canberra. Ivan pulled to a stop in the first available parking spot he could find, which happened to be a few hundred feet from the Museum of Humanity.

"Well then…" Blake said, almost pulling herself up from the fabric of the car's seat. "Now that that's over…"

As everyone stepped out of the vehicle, they were greeted by a truly breathtaking view. The Museum of Humanity stood tall in the large plaza dedicated to it. The symbol of ancient architecture stood in stark contrast to the sleek, metallic buildings of 27th century Sydney. "Whoa…" Weiss said, amazed. "How old is that?"

"It's only about a hundred and thirty years old." Ivan responded. "It's built in the same style as the Romans used." Ivan looked to his team. "Alright… you guys wanna meet up back here around say… five? Museum's a big place."

"Sounds good." Yang said, nodding along with the rest of Team RWBY. "What're you gonna do?"

"I've got a bit of a… personal thing to attend to." Ivan said, shrugging. "You guys go on and explore the city."

"Okay…" Weiss said, giving Ivan a smile. "Any suggestions?"

"Definitely check out the exhibit on the Human-Covenant War." Ivan said. "If you want to get _real_ old, there's some stuff from the Interplanetary War or even before that in there, too. Now go, have fun. Oh, before I forget…." Ivan began, rummaging around in his pockets. He produced four sleek, black chips and handed them to each member of Team RWBY. "Those are UEG Credit Chits. Each one's got around six hundred creds on it, more than enough for any touristy thing you guys might want to go see." Ivan said, ushering them away. "I'll find you guys around five and we'll get something to eat."

As the rest of Team RWBY went on their own way, looking to explore the sprawling plaza that the museum occupied, Ivan set off to fulfill a promise he made. This promise he needed to fulfill every time he was back home…

XXXXX

 **June 22, 2682; 1040 Hours**

 **Sydney, Earth (Museum of Humanity)**

"It's so beautiful…" Weiss said, walking along the path surrounding the Museum of Humanity. Ruby followed just behind the marveling heiress, a smile perpetually locked on her face. Ever since the previous night, Weiss had been in a much better mood, something that Ruby was quite grateful for. She was rather surprised by just how friendly the heiress was being over these past few hours. Heck, even Ivan seemed surprised to see the Heiress in a truly cheery attitude. Weiss had made Ruby promise to keep what happened a secret, and Ruby always kept secrets… Well… that might be stretching the truth a bit. She was never very good at keeping secrets, but she would do her best for Weiss. "What do you think, Ruby?" Weiss asked, pulling Ruby out of her thoughts and back to reality.

"What?" Ruby asked, looking over to the heiress. She had grabbed a small touristy pamphlet from a small stand on the side of the pathway and was reading through it.

"Where should we go next, you dolt?" Weiss asked, her jab actually having a sense of warmth behind it as she playfully nudged Ruby.

Ruby smiled as she glanced down at the small map of the local area that Weiss was holding out in front of her, deciding to pick something at random. "Human-Covenant War?"

"That seems interesting." Weiss agreed, folding the paper up and sticking it in her pocket.

After a few minutes of walking around, and occasionally checking the map after Weiss admitted that she had no idea where she was going, they finally arrived at the proper building, which was rather populated, being a Monday morning. The building itself was less of a single building and more of a large plaza of buildings, each connected by a concrete path. Weiss and Ruby made their way towards the largest of the buildings, unsurprised to find that they needed to pay five credits for admission. Weiss paid for the both of them and led the way into the first building, which was apparently dedicated to UNSC technology used during the War, if the script above the entryway was any indication.

Apparently, Weiss was absolutely correct. As she and Ruby stepped into the main hall of the larger building, they were met by a wide array of displays, each one showcasing modern or relatively modern UNSC military technology in some way or another. Ruby's attention was immediately, and unsurprisingly, grabbed by the massive SRS-99 Sniper Rifle on display near the entrance. Weiss let out an amused sigh at her partner's seemingly endless supply of energy as she followed after the excitable redhead. "Weiss!" Ruby said, pointing at the large 14.5x114mm round that the rifle fired. "Look at that! It's the same one Ivan used!"

Weiss was no expert on firearms, but she could quite clearly tell that the rather nasty looking fin-stabilized penetrator on the tip of the massive round would be more than enough to put anything down. She could swear she saw Ruby's mind working to draw up schematics to reproduce it back on Remnant for Crescent Rose, earning a small smile from the heiress.

In another unsurprising bout of excitement mixed with the attention span of a squirrel with ADD, Ruby darted off towards another display that caught her eye. This one was for the HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mk. I Power Armor, explaining the various functions of the armor and the more intricate internal infrastructure that allowed it to mesh together so perfectly.

For nearly an hour, Weiss continued to follow behind her excitable partner, finding more than a few interesting things along the way. Weiss was especially interested in the UEG's starships, so she made a special point to stop at any displays she found for them.

Ruby continued to dart around, looking at and making mental notes of anything she found especially interesting. As she looked over the on-display SOEIV pod that ODSTs used to enter atmospheres, she caught sight of a sign that immediately grabbed her attention unlike anything else. The sign read, simply: "SPARTAN Program." Ruby quickly turned, finding Weiss to be inspecting a small model of the first UNSC _Infinity_ , and grabbed her by the wrist, gently pulling her towards the SPARTAN Program's dedicated hallway.

"Hey!" Weiss said, surprised to find Ruby yanking her towards a seemingly random hallway.

XXXXX

 **June 22, 2682; 1100 Hours**

 **Earth, Sydney (Museum of Humanity Plaza)**

Blake and Yang casually made their way through the streets of Sydney, deciding that holding hands in the midst of a massive urban sprawl that was completely disconnected from Remnant wouldn't exactly paint a big target on their backs. Nobody seemed to pay the couple any mind, heck, Yang even saw a few other same-sex couples walking around the city. Blake on the other hand spent less time people-watching and more time looking around the city for anything that would catch her eye.

They simply walked around the city for just under an hour, Yang and Blake's hands never releasing one another. Somewhere along the line, Blake's internal compass must've made a proper guess, since she saw something that caught her eye: a bookstore. "Yang…" Blake began, gesturing towards the bookstore, which held the rather generic name: " _New South Wales Booksellers_ ".

Yang turned her head away from the cityscape to look at the small, one-story business that Blake was gesturing to, a small smile setting across her face. "Of all the places in this _alien_ city that you could've asked to stop at… you choose a bookstore?"

"How long have you known me?" Blake asked, lightly tugging Yang towards the small establishment.

Yang simply grinned as she followed behind her raven-haired partner. She released her hold on Blake's hand just long enough to hold the door open for her. "Madame." Yang joked in a very forced accent, earning a smile from the Faunus.

"Why, thank you Madame." Blake replied in an equally bad accent, planting a light kiss on the blonde's cheek. Yang followed the Faunus into the bookstore, a stupid grin on her face the whole time.

XXXXX

 **June 22, 2682; 1107 Hours**

 **Earth, Sydney (Living Monument)**

Ivan sighed as he walked through the aisles of the Museum of Humanity, making his way towards his destination. As he walked, he saw more than a few mourners standing over the long-stretching path. The pathway itself was carved out of pure granite, its glossy black surface twisting and turning through the fields of grass, flowers, and mourning bodies. Ivan was shaken out of his almost programmed stride as he felt a small plastic tablet vibrate in his pocket. He produced his Scroll quickly, scanning over the message that he received.

-I managed to get leave for the rest of the trip.- Ivan read over the message from Winter, a small smile creeping onto his face.

=Good to hear.= Ivan responded, his fingers quickly tapping out the response. =Is there anywhere you wanted to meet?=

-I'm not too familiar with the city.- Came Winter's quick response. –Where are you? I'll just meet up with you.-

=The Living Monument.= Ivan responded. =You don't have to come here, I can come find you.=

-Nonsense, I'm already in walking distance apparently. I'll be there in a few minutes-

Ivan let out an amused chuckle at Winter's similarity to Weiss, in terms of insistence at least. He simply closed his Scroll and continued walking.

Ivan continued walking, eventually coming to a stop at a large slab of pure, refined, and forged iron. On a small golden plaque rested an inscription, its simple words carrying a mountain's worth of weight. _"May this simple plate of metal serve to forever memorialize Humanity's staunch protectors, those who stood valiantly in the face of annihilation. Let us never forget those who journeyed into the hallowing dark, and did not return. For their decision required courage beyond measure, Sacrifice, and the unshakable conviction that their fight… our fight, was elsewhere. The sacrifices of these brave soldiers, from sacrificing their humanity to sacrificing their lives, has ennobled all of us… and you shall not be forgotten. –Lord of Admirals Terrence Hood, October 2561."_ Ivan had visited this simple slab of iron on every single return trip home. It stood as a memorial to the SPARTANs, completely independent of the electronic screen that served as the _actual_ Living Monument.

The massive plate of metal stood at well over twelve feet in height and 100 in length, with hundreds of names etched onto its surface. The slab of iron was nowhere near full of names, and the list is constantly updated every time a SPARTAN fails to return home. For every name on this list, MIA was engraved next to them, a tradition of hope that has held strong ever since the SPARTAN-II Project: SPARTANs never die; they're just missing in action.

Ivan strode towards the line of newer entries on the ever-expanding list of names, coming to a halt just before a name that was added to the list seven years ago. He reached out with his cybernetic hand, letting the nanoreceptors in the hand feel the cool surface of the metal as he ran his finger along one name in particular: SPARTAN A-441, Lieutenant Annalise R. Chesnokov – MIA – May 4, 2675.


	19. Chapter 19: A Day to Remember

**Chapter 19: A Day to Remember**

 **June 22, 105,453 B.C.E.**

 **Erde Tyrene System (Slipstream Space)**

Echo was awoken from his rather peaceful, if dreamless sleep by the soft sound of a starship leaving the Slipstream. The small civilian ship that he was aboard was nothing special when compared to the Inner World luxury vessels that were so commonplace among families of his own's stature. The ship's Ancillary pilot caused the ship to shift on a downwards angle a slight bit, throwing off the artificial gravity's center for just the slightest fraction of a second.

He spared a short glance at the window as he pulled his jumpsuit over his body. Before him rested the Human world of Erde Tyrene. No Forerunner was quite sure what the name meant, but it seemed to hold quite a bit of sentimental value to the natives, who had lost a war of conquest against the Forerunners a mere six centuries ago. From what his father had shared with him, Echo knew that these locals, these Humans, were capable fighters with technology that once matched, and sometimes even outperformed, Forerunner counterparts. This species had always interested Echo, especially after all of the stories that had surfaced about them. As such, he paid for a small starship, gathered some supplies and a few weapons for self-defense, and set out to study these Humans. It was a wonder that the Librarian had allowed him to undertake such a mission, but he was grateful for her patience with the younger Forerunner.

The Librarian had warned him that the local sentient life, while friendly enough, was quite diverse in terms of their appearance. She had seemed quite vague with her descriptions for some reason or another, but he paid that no mind. She had also warned of rather… dangerous local wildlife and plant life, which concerned him a bit more. You could predict the actions of a sentient creature fairly easily; an animal or a plant was rather difficult to understand without decades of study in their responses to stimuli.

Echo gathered his meager collection of weapons, ammunition, and supplies, throwing them into a small pack. He slung the pack over his shoulder and made his way through the small vessel. He stepped out of the rather cramped living quarters, designed to comfortably fit only one, and saw the holographic representation of the ship's Ancilla. He paid the artificial being no mind, as it was scarcely intelligent enough to hold a conversation over anything other than taking orders. He watched in mild interest as the Ancilla worked to land the ship on a seemingly random point on the surface of one of the planet's continents.

As the ship landed, the plant life looked anything but dangerous. For the most part, it appeared to be mostly harmless trees, grass, and flowers. He gave the quick order for his Ancilla and the vessel to shut down, then made his way onto the planet's surface. Thankfully, the planet was incredibly clean in terms of air quality. It was hard to believe that, just a millennia ago, this planet once housed the second most-powerful empire that the Galaxy had ever seen. Now… it seemed like a harmlessly beautiful garden world that was just beginning to spread the seeds of life throughout its soil. The pleasant chirping of nearby creatures drew him back into the reality of the situation around him, allowing him to take in the beauty of the planet as he walked.

As he made his way through the rather sparse forest around his landing zone, he continued to scan over the surrounding wilderness with a sense of wonder. He had never seen _truly_ untapped wilderness before. The closest thing he had ever seen was the preserves on his homeworld, but those were manicured to perfection by Lifeworkers. As Echo lost himself in thought again, he heard a rather strange noise from behind him. Simply put, it was the deep call of an animal. Echo wheeled around, his hand hovering over the grip of his Bolt Pistol, fully prepared to draw his weapon. He was greeted by a relatively small, furry creature that looked up at him from its position on the ground. It had four stumpy little legs, a snout ending in a black nose, gray and black fur, and a pair of inquisitive silver eyes. Echo smiled as the small creature's tongue lolled out of the side of its mouth, the animal looked to be smiling back.

As the small creature neared, seeming to sniff the air between Echo and itself, Echo removed his hand from its position over the grip of his weapon. The small critter began sniffing Echo himself once he drew close enough. The creature seemed to be taking in every detail of Echo's insulated jumpsuit's scent. Echo knelt down, prompting the creature's ears to perk up as the grass rustled beneath Echo's boots. It began sniffing at Echo's hand, then attempted to push its snout between Echo's palm and its resting place on his knee. Echo decided to allow the small fuzzy creature to continue in its observation, but was surprised to find that it nestled its head underneath Echo's open hand, seeming to scratch itself on Echo's fingers. Echo grinned as he scratched the animal behind its ear, earning another one of the creature's rather adorable smiles as its tongue lolled out of its mouth.

"He likes you." An unknown voice explained from somewhere behind Echo. Echo quickly turned around, surprised to find a rather tall-looking female of the Human species. She wore a white gown of some kind, had black fiber hair running from her head, all the way down to the small of her back, and had a very curious look about her. Either Echo was so lost in playing with the small creature that he didn't hear her approach, or she was simply too sneaky for him to ever dream of spotting.

Echo nodded, shaking off the startle that she had given him. He was rather surprised to find the animal running over to the human girl, nuzzling her leg with its snout. "Yours?" Echo asked.

"Yes." She responded, smiling. "I don't think I've ever met one of your kind before. Might I ask what to call you?"

"Echo…" Echo explained, smiling. "I'm Forerunner."

"You're a Forerunner?" The woman asked, surprised. "I thought that your kind were only legends! Did you come with one of the Wandering Stars?"

"Wandering Star?" Echo asked, his brow cocked in a questioning manner.

"One of your lights that travels across the night sky, then disappears as soon as it comes." The woman explained.

"A starship?" Echo asked, putting the pieces together in his head.

"Is that what you call them?" The woman asked, perplexed.

"It is…" Echo said, amused. "Do you have a name?"

"I do." The woman responded, smiling. "Soleia."

"Do you not have a family name?" Echo asked, cocking his brow again.

"I do… do you?" Soleia asked.

"Not quite yet." Echo responded. "I have yet to earn it."

"You need to earn your family?" Soleia asked, confused.

"Not exactly." Echo responded with a slight chuckle. "Simply the right to bear the name."

"Your name shouldn't be earned." Soleia said, a saddened expression on her face. "Let me give you one!"

"I don't see why not…" Echo said, an amused smile on his face.

"Why not Echo of Wandering Stars?" Soleia asked, a glint of humor mixed with… hope in her eyes.

XXXXX

 **June 22, 2682; 1128**

 **Earth, Sydney (Museum of Humanity, Living Monument)**

"Ivan… there you are." Winter said, pulling Ivan out of another Geas-induced vision.

"Hmm…" Ivan said, shaking his head slightly to clear his mind. "Hey, Winter." Ivan was legitimately surprised to see Winter dressed casually. She wore a pair of blue jeans, a white short-sleeved t-shirt, and had her hair back in its usual bun.

Winter sat down on the stone bench next to Ivan, scanning over the slab of iron that Ivan looked to be staring at. When she read the text above the metallic plate, a sense of understanding dawned on her. "Visiting old friends?" She asked, giving Ivan a genuine look of concern.

"In a way…" Ivan said, shrugging.

Winter read over the hundreds of names on the list, noticing a very strange pattern. "Why are they all MIA?"

Ivan smiled slightly. "It's an old tradition… Back during the Human-Covenant War, SPARTANs were Humanity's last, best hope to stop the Covenant. How do you think the public would've reacted when they learned that the best soldiers that Humanity could create were just as killable as the average Marine?"

"Probably not well…" Winter agreed.

"So ONI drew up this little idea for the presses… 'SPARTANs never die, they're just Missing in Action.'" Ivan let out a soft sigh. "SPARTANs, and a good portion of the public, know better now. Doesn't stop them though."

"Who do you… know, up there?" Winter asked, looking to the SPARTAN next to her.

"Annalise Chesnokov." Ivan responded. "My mother."

"Oh… I'm sorry." Winter said, her voice somber and low.

"Don't be… it happened seven years ago. She's probably one of the few _actual_ MIAs on that list." Ivan explained.

"What… happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

"ONI pulled her away for a scouting operation on the fringes of known space. Missions like that are routine, easy, and high in demand. Most SPARTANs dream of getting an extended assignment like that, kinda like the one I got. A few months after her Prowler left Human Space, its Slipspace Transponder disappeared and all outgoing signals from the ship went dark. They haven't found any trace of the ship."

"Oh…" Winter said, unsure of how to respond. "What was she like?"

Ivan smiled rather broadly at this. "Man… she was pretty awesome. Ruby always says that her mom was, and I quote, 'baker of cookies and slayer of giant monsters'… my mom was the same way." Winter gave a smile at Ivan. "She had me a few years after she became an ODST. She was on reserve status for around six years, then left for Reach to become a SPARTAN after she had my sister. When she came back after around a year… it was a bit weird."

"How so?"

"She… grew a few inches." Ivan explained. "I was a bit too young at the time to _really_ understand what the SPARTANs were or what happened to them during their training. She came back with a few surgical scars, had a few more inches added onto her height, and was _way_ stronger than before she left. She got really lucky with her assignments for a few years, getting assigned to the Earth Defense Force, so she got to stay at home as a Reserve Officer. When I was thirteen and Sasha was six, she got pulled out for the little scouting run with ONI. The rest is history, I guess."

"Do you think she's still out there?" Winter asked.

"I don't know, to be honest with you." Ivan responded. "Seven years is a long-ass time to be drifting through space. Even if, by some miracle, the Prowler managed to crash on a garden world, Prowlers weren't designed to land on planets, let alone crash on them."

Winter gave Ivan a weak smile, elbowing him playfully. "Hey… you said she was actually MIA. She could still be out there for all you know."

Ivan shrugged. "Maybe… Hopefully…"

Winter smiled, placing her hand atop Ivan's. She leaned against his shoulder, earning a smile from the SPARTAN. Neither spoke, not wanting to ruin the moment.

XXXXX

 **June 22, 2682; 1139 Hours**

 **Earth, Sydney (Museum of Humanity)**

Weiss was eventually allowed to stop by Ruby. They were standing in the middle of a large circular room, covered in various artifacts. There was an obvious starting point, labeled "SPARTAN I: Project ORION." Ruby led Weiss over to the first display, showcasing the nature of the first SPARTAN program.

ORION troopers were little more than Marines or ODSTs with very basic genetic augmentations, barely outperforming standard UNSC soldiers in terms of combat effectiveness. Most, after the project was deemed a moderate success, were reassigned to various divisions of the Marine Corps, and ordered to keep their true nature a secret to all personnel ranked below Captain. Their armor was rather similar to the ODST armor, but was notably lighter and seemed to have a very lightweight exoskeleton to assist in movement and load-bearing. On a short list of notable ORION personnel, one name in particular stood out: Master Sergeant Avery Johnson, UNSC Marine Corps, Colonial Cross recipient, KIA during the Battle of the Ark. Next to the list of names, stood a small statue to memorialize the SPARTAN-Is, a simple marble statue of soldiers wearing the ORION armor, standing back-to-back with their MA5s pointed outwards.

Weiss spent a few more moments inspecting the nature of the armor, finding it remarkably similar in design to the Atlesian Knight's internal servos, but she was eventually beckoned towards the second display, which was notably larger. The standee for this display was rather ornately decorated, reading: "ORION Project Generation II, The SPARTAN IIs." This display was markedly different than the first, showcasing the various teams that existed from this program. Weiss decided to read over the small plaques that decorated the wall next to each display. Her eyes widened as she read over the in-depth analysis of the SPARTAN II Project. Children as young as six abducted from their parents, replaced by defective clones that were designed to "expire" within eighteen months. For ten years, these children would be put through some of the most brutal training imaginable, being broken down and rebuilt several times. Honestly… it reminded her of Huntsmen in a way. When she read over the augmentation process, her stomach started to churn a bit.

At the age of fifteen or sixteen, the candidates were subject to a series of biological augmentations that were designed to boost muscle mass, reaction time, bone density, eyesight, and everything about their physical forms. Children at sixteen wound up looking like twenty year old athletes. The Augmentation side-effects were truly mind-numbing. Elephantitis, complete paralysis, permanent blindness, retinal rejection, Parkinson's and Fletcher's syndrome, fatal cardiac inflammation, catastrophic bone pulverization… these conditions seemed so insanely brutal that they almost didn't sound real. She wasn't even sure if half of these conditions were even real to begin with. The fact that only 33 of the 75 initial trainees survived the entire process was truly amazing.

Ruby grabbed her attention once again, gesturing to a large collection of armored suits on display. This large glass display showed complete sets of each generation of MJOLNIR that the SPARTAN-IIs would wear, all the way from the relatively basic Mk. I to the advanced Mk. VI. The armor progressively got stronger, gained shielding technology, and enhanced the wearer's strength to unimaginable degrees. For the slightest moment, Weiss found herself wondering what it would be like to wear the suit. That thought was quickly dashed from her mind when she read over a few lines from the informational display in front of the armor. "MJOLNIR armor is a system that, to this day, remains incompatible with unaugmented humans. A standard human attempting to wear a suit of true MJOLNIR armor would find themselves snapping bones with the most minute movements, eventually breaking themselves into pieces with their own agony-induced writhing."

Weiss shivered slightly as she processed just how dangerous this armor really was. She was pulled to another display by Ruby, which was a small plate of metal that looked to be a piece of steel with each SPARTAN-II's name engraved on its surface. Each name had a single name, a designation, and a nickname if one was applicable. Above that small memorial to the long-dead SPARTAN-IIs, was a statue of a very specific SPARTAN. It stood at least seven feet in height, seemed to be milled from actual metal, and depicted a SPARTAN standing with one foot on a rock, gazing off in the distance like a hero from a children's storybook. His rifle was propped up against the ground, his right hand gripping the slightly extended barrel. Etched on the statue's metal chestplate, simply and elegantly, was 117. Weiss couldn't help but read over the small informational blurb about this SPARTAN. Weiss felt Ruby over her shoulder, trying to read off of the same plaque.

"SPARTAN-II Operative Sierra one-one-seven, better known as John-117 or simply: The Master Chief." Weiss read aloud, allowing Ruby to more easily get the information, rather than trying to read over the heiress' shoulder. "Born in 2511, conscripted into the SPARTAN Program at six years old. To this day, he remains the most highly-decorated soldier in UNSC history, earning every medal in existence with the exception of the Prisoner of War Medallion. Noted for his exceptional service in the battles of Circinius IV, The Eridanus Campaign, Raid on the _Third Fleet of Glorious Consequence_ , Battle of Reach, Battle of Installation 04, Battle of Cairo Station, Battle of New Mombassa, Battle of Delta Halo, Infiltration of High Charity, Guerilla operations against occupying Covenant forces on Earth, Ark Campaign, First Battle of Requiem, Destruction of _The Mantle's Approach_ , and the Defeat of Forerunner Guardian Constructs." Weiss had no idea what _any_ of these events were, but the sheer number of battles, campaigns, and exceptional service awards given to this one soldier was simply breathtaking… literally. Weiss drew in a deep breath after rattling off the long list of battles that the Chief participated in, returning to the plaque again.

"SPARTAN 117 served as the commanding officer of SPARTAN II Blue Team. He commanded SPARTAN Kelly-087, Frederic-104, Kurt-051, Samuel-034, William-043, and Linda-058. Together, Blue Team was the most effective SPARTAN Fireteam to ever exist, outperforming all SPARTANs of their generation and beyond. To this day, John-117 remains one of the few SPARTANs of any generation to receive the designation 'Hyper-Lethal'. John-117 gave everything to protect the human species, and the human species will give everything to ensure that his sacrifice was not in vain. His actions, still, serve as the guiding principles that the UNSC instills in all of its personnel: Self-sacrifice, teamwork, leadership, duty, and honor."

"Whoa…" Ruby said, still processing everything about this one specific soldier. If she understood correctly, this one man was responsible for saving the human species not once, not twice, not three times, but four or five times. She made a mental note to ask Ivan about this later, smiling to herself as she looked on at the statue's powerful form.

"It's hard to believe that Remnant missed all of this…" Weiss commented. "We were all sitting around fighting a petty war over self-expression, thinking it would be the war to end all wars… all-the-while there's a galaxy-wide war between humans and aliens raging on."

"It puts a lot in perspective…" Ruby agreed.

"Now c'mon, you dolt. There's still two more sections to look at." Weiss said after a few moments of silence, grabbing Ruby and pulling her towards the display labeled: "SPARTAN-III Program". Ruby smiled, seeing that the tables had been turned, and followed along.

XXXXX

 **June 22, 2682; 1128 Hours**

Blake and Yang stepped into the small, quaintly decorated bookstore. It was rather sparsely lit, giving it a very comfortable atmosphere. It had dozens of shelves forming small aisles, shelves lining the walls, and a few small sofas set up around a few coffee tables. There was a single counter near the front of the store, manned by an older gentleman with slightly greying hair. Other than Blake and Yang, there were only two other patrons in the store.

"Hi there." The older man said, giving them a warm smile as they stepped in. "Welcome! Can I help you two find anything?"

"We're just looking." Blake said, returning the smile, albeit hers was a bit more reserved.

"Glad to see that a few younger people still have an appreciation for paper books." The older man commented, his smile still present. "Most people just read those E-books on Waypoint nowadays."

Blake shrugged. "I prefer having pages to flip through."

"Thankfully, enough people share your thoughts to let me stay in business." The man joked, chuckling. "Let me know if you need anything, I'd be glad to help."

Blake smiled. "Sure thing." Blake walked through the labeled aisles, which were thankfully labeled in English. She strolled through the fiction section first, simply looking for anything that would catch her eye. She was rather surprised to find a few books that she had read before, namely _Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde_ , and _Frankenstein_. After finding nothing exceptionally noteworthy, she made her way through the non-fiction section of the store. Upon entering it, a blue book caught her eye rather quickly. She picked it up from its spot on the shelf, inspecting the cover.

The cover itself was rather sparse, having a few letters in a runic language that she could never hope to decrypt. Just below those letters however, was what she assumed to be a translation: _On the Blood of Our Fathers, On the Blood of Our Sons_. She scanned for the author's name, finding it to be written by someone named Rtas'Vadum. She had never seen a name like that before, but she disregarded that. She flipped the cover open, surprised to find a few hand-drawn pictures of eerily familiar starships, all of them following the Covenant design philosophy. That allowed her to make the connection instantly, the author was a Sangheili. Something like this was simply too good to pass up.

Blake turned around, surprised to find Yang holding a pair of hardcover books, one titled _Metro 2033_ , the other titled _The Road_. Blake shot Yang an amused smile. "You're _actually_ going to sit down and read those?"

"Yeah!" Yang defended. "They looked really cool, so I figured I'd give them a try. Contrary to popular belief, I _do_ enjoy reading… when I can read what I want."

Blake simply smiled as she turned and made her way over to the small sofa. Unsurprisingly, her boisterous blonde sat down next to her, almost snuggling into place into her partner's side. Blake grinned as she watched Yang _actually_ open the cover of a book and start reading. It looked like she had decided to start with _The Road_.

Blake flipped past the second page, reading over the forward, written by Rtas'Vadum. " _For much of my life, I gladly served the Hierarchs and their goals, blindly willing to follow their word into the empty maw of war. It was through my own blindness that I found myself standing at the edge of all life in this galaxy, nearly willing to end it all for a foolish lie of salvation. I write this collection of stories that I have gathered through my decades of service to the Prophets in an attempt to give insight into the Covenant, their motives, and the direction they took that nearly led to the extinction of all life on a galactic scale. This is not my story, nor a story of the Sangheili; this is the story of the Covenant._ " Blake found herself intrigued by the rather vague forward, deciding to read a few pages of the first chapter. She flipped to the next page of the massively thick book, which had well over 1400 pages, even with rather small print, and started reading.

XXXXX

 **June 22, 2682; 1730 Hours**

 **Earth, Sydney**

Ivan had a small smile on his face as he walked back towards his parked car, Winter following at his side. The sun had started its descent towards the horizon, with Ivan's watch reading 5:30 P.M.. Among the rather bland-looking populace of Sydney, Winter stood out like a sore thumb. Her ivory hair certainly drew a few curious glances from passing pedestrians. Ivan wasn't quite sure whether he should chalk that up to her white hair, or the fact that she was absolutely stunning, even in rather casual clothes. "Any idea where Weiss and Ruby could've gone?" Winter asked, glancing down to her barely-functional scroll. It had been a fair bit of time, but integrating Remnant's radically different computer and personal electronics hardware with UEG systems was proving rather difficult. As such, Scrolls still had very limited function away from Remnant's communications grid. "My Scroll's hardly more than an over-engineered clock right now."

"No idea where they got off to." Ivan confessed. "Weiss saying 'historical sites' doesn't narrow the search by much, given the circumstance." He gestured towards the Museum of Humanity. "Damn city's almost nine hundred years old." Ivan cracked a small smile. "Blake and Yang on the other hand… I know exactly where they are."

"Where would that be?" Winter asked.

"The only actual bookstore in all of Sydney." Ivan said with a small grin. "Blake's way too predictable. And I predict that she wouldn't be able to pass up an Earth bookstore."

Winter hummed in agreement. "I'm surprised that you still have actual books. I figured you'd switch to more electronic books."

"Oh, we did." Ivan said, gesturing to his pocket that contained his datapad. "Every UEG Public School uses electronic textbooks, most publications are done through Waypoint, and almost every novel released over the past four hundred years was done through E-Books. There are a few paper-print books still, but they're considered a novelty for the most part."

"Makes sense, I suppose." Winter agreed, following next to Ivan as he walked through the streets of Sydney. As they walked through the streets of the UEG's capital, Winter's hand found its way into Ivan's as they walked. Ivan, unsurprisingly, tensed up at the contact, but seemed to relax as they walked.

Ivan casually made his way towards the bookstore in question, New South Wales Booksellers. He pushed the door open, earning a smile from the older gentleman behind the counter. "Ivan?" He asked, surprised to see the SPARTAN. "It's great to see you again! How've you been?"

"I've been fine, Mike." Ivan responded, shaking the older man's hand. "It's great to see you too."

"Feel free to look around." The storeowner said, gesturing to the shelves. "We just got a new stock of War History books from Revelle Germany and a bunch of books from that Sangheili publishing company that just expanded into UEG space. I've heard that Rtas's book is quite good."

"That came out?" Ivan asked, surprised. "I'll be sure to check it out, thanks Mike."

"Of course, my boy!" He said, clapping the SPARTAN on the back. "I'll let you and your lady-friend here get back to your business." At that, Winter and Ivan both felt the warmth of a blush creep up their cheeks. Mike let out a soft laugh at the SPARTAN's expense as he turned back towards his laptop terminal, returning to taking inventory.

Ivan smiled, turning to look at a collection of small sofas and coffee tables. Unsurprisingly, he found a black-haired girl sitting on one of them reading a rather thick novel. Unsurprisingly again, a blonde mane was visible, resting on the onyx-haired girl's lap. Ivan was actually surprised to see Yang reading a book, especially a classic like _The Road_. "Hey, lovebirds." Ivan said, walking over.

"Look who's talking…" Blake commented from her position on the sofa, her eyes never leaving the page she was on. She made a gesture towards Ivan and Winter's interlocked digits, earning a smile from Yang.

"Hardy har har." Ivan responded, looking down at the rather relaxed-looking pair. "You guys know where Ruby and Weiss went?"

"No idea." Yang responded, folding the corner of her current page in and sitting upright.

"Well, we should probably start looking for them." Blake said, looking up to a clock on the wall. "It's already almost six, and they're probably at the car by this point."

"Just looked there, they weren't." Ivan said, shrugging.

"They can't be far." Yang said, shrugging.

"Let me go pay for these books, then we'll get searching." Blake said, standing upright and gathering her and Yang's books, heading for the counter.

Yang shot a glance towards Ivan and Winter, who were still holding hands. A stupid grin crossed her face. "So what's your guys' pet name?"

"What?" Ivan asked, honestly confused.

"Your name for your relationship." Yang clarified. "You know how JNPR calls Blake and I Bumblebee? What's yours?"

Ivan looked to Winter, who simply shrugged. "I wasn't aware that this was a thing." Winter said.

"I don't know." Ivan said, shrugging.

"Well, either you guys think of one, or I let Nora think of one." Yang threatened, a smile on her face.

"Yang… you wouldn't..." Ivan said, a look of mock horror on his face.

Yang simply smiled as she strolled over towards her Faunus partner, wrapping an arm around her waist as she paid for the small collection of books.

"Bumblebee… that's pretty good." Winter commented, earning a smile from Ivan.

XXXXX

 **June 22, 2682; 1812 Hours**

 **Earth, Sydney**

Weiss walked alongside Ruby as they descended the stairs out of the Museum's main building, along with a small group of other patrons. Ruby was ecstatic during the remainder of their escapades, while Weiss was simply happy to be around her constantly energetic partner. Ruby's cheerful attitude was proving to be rather infectious, as Weiss still had a smile plastered on her face.

Ruby, unsurprisingly, focused mostly on the weapons that were on display throughout the museum, while Weiss was a bit more concerned with the history being represented there… and starships. She really liked the starships. She had actually made a bit of an impulse buy, a small book that was a collection of service history for the _UNSC Infinity_. The ship's history really started to interest her when she read about its captain: Thomas Lasky. There were more than a few small displays dedicated to the crew of _Infinity_.

Ruby and Weiss made their way into the evening light of Sydney, greeted by the silhouette of an Orion-Class Battlecruiser against the backdrop of the silver city, accented by the orange sunset. There was a certain beauty of the UEG's homeworld. There was no need for massive walls, defense emplacements, or massive amounts of soldiers and police patrolling the streets. This world was at peace, and it showed. There was actual countryside you could live in without fear of being mauled by Grimm, no fear of persecution based on one's heritage, no need for huntresses or huntsmen… It was almost too much for Weiss to think about in the short few moments that she had before Ruby was pulling her back down the streets of Sydney. "Where are you dragging us off to now?" Weiss asked, following her partner.

"Didn't Ivan say to meet up at the car around five?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah…" Weiss said, raising an eyebrow.

"It may or may not be like, six."

Weiss sighed, looking down at her Scroll's clock. "I swear, Ruby Rose… ever since we became friends, I've had a harder time keeping a decent timetable." Weiss had a warm smile on her face as she followed Ruby back towards the familiar parking spot. She was rather surprised to find nobody waiting there for them.

"Looks like you're not the only one who can't keep a schedule." Ruby joked, jumping up and sitting on the metal hood of Ivan's car, kicking her feet back and forth.

After a few minutes of waiting and casual conversation, Weiss was able to make out the familiar banter between Ivan and Yang, obviously arguing about something trivial, as usual. She looked towards one end of the square, finding the rather boisterous blonde brawler walking hand-in-hand with Blake, who was walking alongside Ivan and Winter, whom were also holding hands. "Awwwww!" Ruby said, seeing Ivan and Winter holding hands. Weiss simply groaned at the sight of her older sister holding hands with the SPARTAN. She knew it was childish for her to think this way, but that didn't quite stop her from finding it weird.

"Glad to see you made it." Weiss said once the group reached earshot.

"Look who's talking." Ivan commented. "We only looked all over the square for you two. Where were you?"

"The giant museum!" Ruby said, excitedly. "It was really cool! Weiss even got something!"

"Really?" Ivan asked, seeing the small plastic bag containing the _Infinity_ 's service record, schematics, operational history, and basic information, as well as a few crewmember's stories and photos of the actual ship. _Infinity_ itself was re-fitted fifty years ago to be put up to the rest of the Navy's standards, but she still held her name and rather feared reputation among Covenant Storm. If Ivan remembered properly, _Infinity_ was actually reassigned to the Deep Space Exploration Flotilla in its original role as a scientific vessel. "Didn't think you'd be into starships, Weiss."

"They're interesting." Weiss admitted. "I must say, the more I learn about the UNSC, the more impressed I am."

"Especially the SPARTANs!" Ruby added. "The memorial to them in the museum was really cool!"

"Oh, you saw that one?" Ivan asked, smiling. "It's a really interesting exhibit. The fact they _actually_ have John's armor and Noble Six's helmet on display is pretty damn cool." Winter, Blake, and Yang seemed out of the loop, but Weiss and Ruby seemed surprised at Ivan's words.

"They had his actual armor?" Ruby asked.

"You know that giant metal statue of him standing with his rifle on the ground?" Ivan asked, earning a nod from Weiss and Ruby. "That's not actually a statue… that's his actual armor. To be fair, it was his suit of Mk. V armor that he wore before Earth got invaded, but it was still his armor."

"Whoa…" Ruby said, realizing that she stood in front of a suit of armor that had seen more conflict than most ships in the UNSC fleet. "Whatever happened to him?"

"Died peacefully fifty years ago." Ivan answered. "Pretty much the entire human species mourned his passing, with a massive service on Eridanus II, where he was born." Ivan sighed, smiling slightly. "But enough about ancient history, apparently we're going to dinner with my dad tonight."

"Really?" Blake asked. "When did you find out about this?"

"When Winter and I were looking for you two." Ivan responded.

"There's one issue with that, though." Weiss said, earning everyone's attention. "There's not enough seats in your car for all of us, mister 'I removed the seats for weight reduction'."

Ivan smiled, shrugging. He pulled out his datapad, typing in a few things onto the small, transparent screen. He placed the datapad up to his ear, the dial tone barely audible. "Hello?" Sasha answered.

"Sasha… could you be amazing and swing by the Museum on your way there?" Ivan asked, smiling. "Winter's coming too, and I don't have enough seats in my car."

"You're such an idiot." Sasha replied. "I'm on the way." With that, she hung up, allowing Ivan to slide his datapad back into his pocket.

XXXXX

 **June 22, 2682; 1904 Hours**

 **Earth, Sydney**

Ivan and Winter stepped out of his car in front of a small restaurant on the eastern outskirts of the city center. Blake and Yang had volunteered to drive there with Ivan's sister, with Weiss immediately wanting to go along when she learned that Winter would be riding with Ivan. Naturally, Ruby remained with her ivory-haired partner, leaving Ivan and Winter with the supercar. Ivan had decided to drive a bit more… legally this time around.

The restaurant was nothing special, a small one-story building colored in a rather pleasant tan with green tile roofing material. It had rather loud and colorful painted advertisements for beers and wines on the side of the building, along with some rather upbeat swing music playing over loudspeakers. "Quaint little place." Winter said with a smile. The entire parking lot was practically full of all types of cars, both expensive and relatively cheap. This restaurant was rather large and popular, and it showed through the amount of establishments they had.

"Always loved this place." Ivan said with a grin, which was immediately joined by a blush as Winter locked her arm with Ivan's. Ivan led the way through the small line that was waiting outside, thankful that his father had already reserved a table. As to be expected, Winter stood out in the crowd of rather bland-looking people, her white hair contrasting rather heavily amongst the blondes, brunettes, and black haired people. Not to mention the fact that, in Ivan's eyes, she was drop-dead gorgeous. She had a certain… intimidating presence that commanded respect, but she had shown a very playful and friendly side to the SPARTAN. Ivan could tell rather clearly that Winter didn't share that side of herself too often, if at all.

Ivan spotted his father, sister, and all of Team RWBY sitting at a round table, the booth having more than enough room to accommodate all of them. His father waved them over, a slight smirk on his face as he saw Ivan with a rather attractive woman at his side. "So Ivan…" Sergei began, smiling. "Mind introducing me to your lady friend again, maybe as your girlfriend this time?"

Sergei almost laughed at Ivan and Winter's apparent discomfort. Even though Ivan was generally a laid-back person, he still wasn't quite used to the idea of having a significant other. Winter simply felt bashful being in the presence of her own partner's father, even if he had been nothing other than friendly and welcoming to everyone from Remnant. Ivan smiled as he sat down at the table next to Sasha, with Winter sitting on his right. "Dad, this would be Winter, my _girlfriend_." He said, putting emphasis on the end. A small smirk crossed his lips as he saw Weiss shake her head in exasperation.

"Was that so hard?" Sergei asked with a smile. "Why didn't you tell me at the spaceport?"

"Because it was literally a thing for a day." Ivan answered, smiling.

"And the third made a difference?" Sergei asked, smirking.

"Apparently so." Ivan responded, shrugging.

"So, Winter…" Sergei began, taking a sip from a glass of water that was placed before him by a hostess. "Ironwood speaks highly of you, says you're one of the best operatives that he's ever had the privilege of working with. How long have you been military?"

"Ever since I was eighteen." Winter responded, her posture slightly more formal than usual. "I joined the Specialists once I finished with my training in Atlas' Combat School."

Ivan watched as his father questioned Winter for a few minutes, eventually relenting with his questions. He gave Ivan a look that said "good choice", earning an eye-roll from the SPARTAN. "And now that you're on leave for the trip, you can feel free to stay with us." Sergei said, still addressing Winter.

"Are you sure?" Winter asked. "I would hate to be a burden."

"Oh, please." Sergei said, shaking his head. "The damned dog is more of a burden than you could ever be." Sergei joked. "After all, I'd imagine that you'd be in the house enough anyways, might as well cut out the commute."

"Dad…" Ivan began, giving his father a joking glare, which Sergei returned with a grin.

"Only if you're absolutely sure." Winter said, grinning at Ivan's antics with his father.

"Of course I am." Sergei said, smiling.

After a few more minutes of idle conversation, the food arrived. Sergei had decided to get a rather large Chicago-style pizza for the entire table, with everyone else choosing to get all manner of food, from simple pasta to the rather ornate ziti in a bread bowl.

"So…" Ivan began, starting up the conversation again. "How was the Senate Hearing?"

"Oh god… Don't remind me." Sergei said, sighing. "I thought the representatives from Vacuo and Mistral were going to get into a damned fistfight over the voting district issue. Neither of them seemed to understand that they'd get the same amount of representatives; just the voting districts would look different between the two kingdoms. Because, you know, the cities are laid out differently."

"They're politicians, after all." Weiss said, having a fair bit of experience in dealing with politics.

"No kidding…" Sergei said. "Thankfully, we managed to agree on most things. It's going smoother than I thought."

"There's no real issue?" Blake asked. "What about the Faunus?" Nobody at the table was exactly surprised at Blake's question, even if Sergei and Sasha didn't know what was hidden underneath the bow. Sergei knew that the Faunus were a very big talking point to this day on Remnant's political stage.

"Honestly, I find the issue with the Faunus absolutely insane." Sergei said, sighing. "The sheer fact that the Kingdoms of Remnant tried to contain an _entire race_ of people to a small Grimm-infested island, leaving them there to die, is simply disgusting." Blake smiled a slight bit at Sergei's words, which were rather impassioned. "If this treaty is signed by all parties, then the situation for the Faunus will look quite different."

"Treaty?" Weiss asked. "I thought this was just for a meeting and some basic talks between leaders."

"Initially, that was the case." Sergei explained. "After a few hours of… interesting deliberation, the President proposed the idea of fully integrating Remnant into the UEG."

"And the Kingdom leaders didn't lose their shit?" Ivan asked.

"At first, there was a fair bit of yelling." Sergei admitted. "Once the President actually _explained_ what he meant by 'integrating', the situation calmed down a bit."

"And what did he mean?" Yang asked. "I thought Remnant would remain a protectorate planet, since the UEG didn't technically found the colonies that became the four kingdoms."

"The President's proposition was pretty simple." Sergei began, taking in a deep breath as he started his explanation. "Remnant would be fully brought into the fold, but would be granted the exact same sovereignty that every other UEG planet has. Nothing about Remnant's government would change in any measurable way, other than having the right to vote in UEG elections, getting representation in government, and they would only have to abide by certain UEG laws that are passed on a UEG-wide scale. For the most part, that's just minimum wage laws, basic human rights laws, Corporate laws, et cetera. Those rights would also extend to the Faunus, which from what I've heard, would greatly raise their standard of living on Remnant."

"That sounds… amazing." Blake said, smiling. She was truly amazed at the lengths that this human from another world was willing to defend the rights of a race that he had never had knowing contact with, even going so far as to propose bringing Remnant into the fold of a space-faring empire to make the lives of the average citizen better. It almost seemed too good to be true.

"Corporate Laws?" Weiss asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Set corporate tax rates, minimum standard wage for workers, prevention of monopolies, et al." Sergei said. He saw Weiss' brow furrow, his memory being jogged at her apparent distaste for that little part of the treaty. "I know that Schnee Dust has some… interesting business practices, and they would certainly be investigated by the UEG if what I've heard is true. I doubt it would affect your company in any way other than improving the standard for the Faunus workers and preventing the rather… questionable practices that the SDC has been allegedly undertaking for these past few years."

"You're talking about destroying my family's company!" Weiss argued. "Why does the UEG need to get involved in a business that my family worked for generations to build?"

"It's not like we're demanding that Schnee Dust give up the market share for a smaller company to take, we're simply going to ensure that the laws regarding labor and better business practices are being followed." Sergei countered. "I know that you're the heiress to the company, and that you have a certain obligation to see it grow. The UEG does not like to get involved in private business; we'll only get involved if the law is being broken. The only issue I see that could cause the UEG to get involved, would be the stories I've heard about Faunus labor in the Dust quarries."

Weiss took a deep breath, nodding. She knew that Sergei was a politician, but he was a damned good debater. "I suppose you have a point." Weiss said. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry for speaking your mind." Sergei said, waving his hand dismissively. "Like you said, it's your family's company and you want to see it grow, I understand that."

After a few moments of eating and rather casual, if slightly reserved conversation, Sergei smiled slightly. "So, Ivan…" He earned a questioning look and cocked eyebrow from the SPARTAN. "What exactly happened on Remnant? The reports I got weren't very clear."

Ivan smiled slightly. "You guys mind helping me tell this one?" Ivan asked, looking to Team RWBY for help. Ruby and Yang nodded enthusiastically, while Blake and Weiss seemed a bit more reserved. Ivan grinned and mentally prepared himself to tell a long, convoluted, and fun story.

XXXXX

 **June 22, 2682; 2301 Hours**

 **Earth, Sydney**

Ivan stepped back into his home in the suburbs of Sydney, smiling as Hans, the German Shepard, perked up from his slumbering position on the couch, then set his head back down once he saw who was coming in. He held the door open for Winter, who was carrying a small bag containing her personal belongings. They had debated the sleeping arrangements for the entire ride back from Winter's hotel room, with Winter refusing to relent on her insistence to take the couch. Ivan eventually got her to agree to letting him take the couch tonight, but they would alternate every other night.

Due to the late hour, everyone else had already returned to the residence and was probably sound asleep. Ivan smiled as Winter looked around the comfortable home, petting Hans as she walked by. Ivan led the way upstairs, opening the door to his bedroom. Winter glanced around to the SPARTAN's rather bland-looking room, the only thing giving it any real decoration was the pair of paintings on the wall, both of them depicting some unnamed planet. Winter smiled, turning to the SPARTAN. "I'm surprised… I was expecting it to be a bit nerdier."

Ivan smiled as he tossed his belongings into a corner. "What did you expect, action figures and comic books?"

"Maybe a bit." Winter admitted, smiling.

"I'm not _that_ obvious of a nerd." Ivan countered, laughing softly. He gestured to his room. "Like I said, make yourself at home."

"I still don't feel right about taking your room." Winter tried one final time, seeing if she could get the SPARTAN to agree to let her take the couch.

"Winter… it's fine." Ivan insisted. "The rest of them took the two guest rooms, so this is yours for tonight."

"If you're sure…" Winter relented, smiling as she placed her bag on the bed.

"I'm sure." Ivan said. "Now, I'm gonna let you get some sleep."

"Thank you, Ivan." Winter said. "For accommodating me."

"Don't mention it." Ivan said, a small grin on his face.

Winter blushed slightly as she leaned in and planted a soft kiss on Ivan's cheek. "Goodnight, Ivan." She said, her cheeks warm.

"Y-You too…" Ivan stuttered slightly, still not used to the more intimate contact. As he awkwardly stumbled over his words, Winter simply giggled.

Ivan gave a stupid grin as he backed out of his room, making his way towards the couch. He gave Hans a light scratch behind the ears as he laid down on the elongated section of the L-shaped couch. A flurry of emotions flew through his head as he laid there, staring at the slowly spinning ceiling fan. His cheek tingled slightly where Winter had placed her kiss, earning the familiar awkward butterflies from Ivan's chest. After a few minutes of Ivan's rather excited emotions playing havoc with his mind, he eventually fell into a relaxed sleep.


	20. Chapter 20: Evaluations

**Chapter 20: Evaluations**

 **June 30, 2682; 0511 Hours**

 **Earth, Sydney**

Ivan awoke rather early, even by his standards. He was used to getting up around 0300 hours, but his time at Beacon and on his Liaison duty had softened his sleep schedule slightly. He was awake at around 5 A.M., which was a strange experience for him, given the circumstance. He blearily wiped the sleep from his eyes, his back popping as he rolled sat up from his position on the couch. Ivan didn't even need to look to see what was to his right.

Next to him laid the sleeping Winter. She had reluctantly accepted sleeping in Ivan's room on the first night she stayed, but Ivan woke up the next morning to find Winter asleep on the couch. Over the past week since Winter had started staying with Ivan, he had had come to accept that she wouldn't ever stay in the bed he offered, and would sleep on the couch anyways. He relented after the second attempt, but decided to simply sleep on the couch as well in a rather childishly funny form of protest.

As Ivan sat upright, Winter slowly awoke as well. "Good morning…" She said, yawning. Ivan smiled as he saw Winter, with her disheveled ivory hair falling past her shoulders. Ivan smiled as she sat upright, prompting Hans to lazily walk over to her, nuzzling her leg. "So…" Winer began, moving closer to Ivan. "What did you have planned for us today?"

Ivan's smile faded slightly. "I've actually got that psych evaluation today." Ivan said.

"Wait… what?" Winter asked, unaware of this. "When did this become a thing?"

"It's standard procedure for all torture victims or prisoners of war." Ivan explained. "I'm due in Sydney at noon."

"That's still seven hours." Winter said, smiling.

Ivan smiled. "I suppose it is…" Ivan said, thinking. "I really don't know what we could do… any ideas?"

Winter smiled, resting her head on Ivan's shoulder. "Going back to sleep?" She asked, a small yawn escaping her lips.

"Works for me…" Ivan agreed, unsurprised to find that Winter simply refused to move from her rather comfortable resting place on Ivan's shoulder. Ivan simply smiled, resigned to his fate, and fell asleep with Winter's arm wrapped around his waist and a content smile on her lips.

XXXXX

 **June 30, 2682; 1231 Hours**

 **Earth, Sydney (UNSC Domestic Clinic)**

Ivan sighed as he sat in a rather uncomfortably cushioned chair in the UNSC Domestic Clinic's Active Duty Ward. He wasn't the only SPARTAN who was here, since there were a few small operations requiring the… fine touch of a superhuman warrior. The office he was in was rather sparsely furnished, having a pair of chairs, a desk, and a large office chair behind the desk. There were a few stock paintings that Ivan could've sworn he'd seen in just about every stock photo of a model home, along with some potted plants from various UEG planets.

The doctor before him was a fellow member of the UNSC Military, but he was assigned a rather cushy job on Earth, working as a Military Psychiatric Advisor and Counselor. His official rank was 2nd Lieutenant, and he had obviously seen some sort of combat before, as he had some rather vicious-looking scarring on his neck and cheeks, but he seemed more than amicable. "So, Ivan… I've read over the reports of what happened on Remnant." The Psychiatric advisor, Doctor Soloman, began. "You've certainly seen a fair bit over the past year or so."

"I have…" Ivan responded, adjusting himself slightly as he attempted to fix his posture in the chair he kept sinking into a bit.

"It says here that you restrained yourself from killing both Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black, despite them being openly hostile to you." Soloman said, his dull green eyes looking towards Ivan's blue ones, taking note of the cybernetic one. "Most people don't have that kind of restraint, and it's even rarer among SPARTANs."

"I couldn't bring myself to kill either of them." Ivan explained, shrugging. "Everyone deserves to be forgiven, to a certain length."

"So you don't harbor any ill-will towards either of them?"

"Now I never said that." Ivan said, flexing his arm involuntarily. "Emerald and some bull-Faunus took my arm off and destroyed my eye. Do I hate her? Yes. Do I want to kill her? Not at all. I'm fine with letting ONI handle that part."

Soloman nodded, reading over a small portion of a report rather quickly. "Tell me about your time at Beacon."

"Not much to tell, really." Ivan said, shrugging. "I hid who I was for seven or so months, the truth came out, Covenant Storm invaded the planet, we repulsed them, and now Remnant's a UEG Protectorate."

"What about these four girls that you've spent most of your time with on Remnant?" Soloman asked.

"RWBY?" Ivan asked, smiling. "They're… They're all great… I just- I wish I could've been straight with them when I first arrived."

"You feel guilty about lying to them?"

"Yeah…"

"Even though your orders made that a part of your mission?"

"I followed the orders, even if it hurt to watch them treat me differently for the past few months."

"How do they treat you differently?" Soloman asked. "How did they treat you before?"

"Well, I was just a normal student to them at first… albeit a really tall student. They treated me like an actual person. There were no orders, no reports, no uniforms… just normality." Ivan shrugged. "When they learned that I was a SPARTAN and what that entailed, they started being a bit more… distant, I guess. Less joking around, less enjoyment, and more and more escalation of problems."

"Problems?"

"The Grimm attack during the Vytal Festival, Mercury trying to frame Yang for attacking him, Atlas and the UEG butting heads over Remnant's airspace…" Ivan began. "I just can't help but feel like it's only just getting started."

"You must really care about those four." Soloman said, a small smile betraying his otherwise neutral expression.

"More than you could imagine…" Ivan said, smiling. "They've gone to incredible lengths to… be heroes for the sake of it. I… It kinda reminds me of me, I guess. I joined the Marines because I wanted to be a protector, fight the good fight, and all that. There isn't much for us to fight anymore."

"You mean that we're at peace?" Soloman asked, nodding.

"Exactly." Ivan affirmed. "Not long ago, we were nearly wiped out as a species. That was a time when there was actually a fight to be had. I didn't want to sit around and not join up. I wanted to… just maybe… actually make a decent impact."

"Being the youngest officer of your rank in the SPARTAN Corps is certainly one hell of an impact, Colonel." Soloman said. "Same with saving countless people on Remnant. But I do understand what you mean. You like being on Remnant because there's actually something threatening humans there. There's actually something to fight against."

"Yeah…" Ivan said.

Soloman gave a comforting smile, and it had a sense of knowing behind it. "I understand what you mean… How about this, Mister Chesnokov? Go a bit more in-depth with what happened on Remnant. Start at the beginning."

XXXXX

 **June 30, 2682; 1543 Hours**

 **Earth, Sydney**

Ivan sighed as he stepped back through the familiar door to his home, smiling as he saw Hans with his paws on Ruby's lap, happily panting as the red-haired huntress gave him the attention he wanted. Weiss had a broad smile on her face as she doted over the happy German Shepherd. Yang had her arm draped around Blake's waist, her head resting on her shoulder as Blake read her purchased book. Ivan was rather surprised. He knew Blake was an avid reader, but it looked like she had powered through half of the 1400 page book within a week. Winter was an entirely different story.

The white-haired specialist had her hair tied in its familiar lopsided bun, and she was sat at the island in the kitchen, watching with interest as Sergei explained the parts of an M6D Magnum. It was truly surprising how well Winter and Ivan's father had hit it off, with Sergei instantly taking a liking to the admittedly imposing-looking Specialist. Ivan knew how rare it was for his father to show anyone his carry piece, but it appeared that he made an exception. Upon hearing the door slide shut, Winter looked up from the half-assembled magnum, smiling. "You're back!" She said, making her way over and pulling the taller SPARTAN into a hug. "How'd your psych eval go?"

Ivan ignored the smile that Sergei was giving him as Winter hugged him, choosing to address the girl before him. "Went well." He answered, his smile still present. "I'm cleared to return to duty."

"Good to hear." Winter said, her smile not faltering for a second. She leaned up, planting a quick and chaste kiss to Ivan's lips. Much to Ivan's irritation, Sergei waggled his eyebrows. It took all of Ivan's willpower not to roll his eyes. "Any plans for us tonight?" It was only after she said it, that Winter realized just how easily her words could be taken out of context.

"Good lord! Get a room you two!" Sasha said from her position on an armchair. She had decided not to sit in it normally, but to rest her head on one armrest and dangle her legs over the other. She was watching a news story with mild interest. Unsurprisingly, the story was about the signing of the Remnant-UEG Merger Agreement, which had gone through just the day before.

"Isn't it past your bedtime, Sasha?" Ivan asked, shooting his sister a sly grin.

Sasha merely made an indignant huff, earning a smile from Sergei and Ivan. "Idiot…" She muttered to herself.

Ivan still had a grin on his face as he walked over to the unoccupied end of the couch, Winter at his side. He sat down on the end, Winter sitting on his right. She rested her head on the SPARTAN's shoulder, sighing contently as she sat down. After a week of Winter staying with him, Ivan had grown far more confident around her. He still made the occasional slip-up, which Winter found rather adorable, but he was certainly improving.

Ivan paid little mind to the news story on the television. Considering that one of the men who wrote up the agreement was his own father, there wasn't much that he didn't know about it. Sasha had chosen to sit up, and had a look on her face that was rather tell-tale of the desire to ask a question. After a few moments of working up the courage, she asked her question. "Hey Blake…" She began, drawing he onyx-haired girl's attention.

"Hmm?" Blake hummed, looking up from her book.

"I was wondering… why do you always have that bow on?" Sasha asked, drawing a cocked eyebrow from Blake. "It's just… I never see you without it."

Blake looked down to Yang, whose head was resting in her lap. Yang gave her girlfriend a nod and a smile, which did wonders to ease the knot forming in the Faunus' stomach. Blake reached up, removing the bow from her head. As she pulled the strand of fabric from her head, she let her ears stand upright from their position, flat against her head. Her ears twitched slightly as they were finally able to react to ambient noises. "Oh… wow…" Sasha said, surprised to see a pair of cat ears resting on the top of Blake's head. Honestly, she found them rather cute, but she had a sinking feeling that Blake wouldn't appreciate such a comment. "Why did you hide them?"

Blake shrugged. "The Faunus are the targets for a lot of prejudice and mistreatment on Remnant, so I started wearing the bow to protect myself. I kept wearing it here to keep unwanted attention away." Sasha nodded in response.

"I guess that certainly explains why you asked so many questions about how the agreement would affect the Faunus…" Sergei commented, stepping into the living room. Blake nodded in response, looking towards him. "And your reasoning is exactly why I was pushing so hard to get this damned thing signed. Nobody should have to hide who they are just to get by on a daily basis. The things I've heard about the mistreatment of the Faunus is absolutely outrageous, and I'm certainly glad that this agreement was passed."

Blake smiled. "I'm glad it passed too… I just hope it doesn't wind up creating more problems."

"I certainly hope so too…" Sergei said, sighing. "I'm also happy that you're comfortable enough around us to not wear the bow." The older man let a small smile cross his lips. "I had my suspicions."

Blake smiled. She found it almost impossible to believe that just a year ago, she was a new student at Beacon, refusing to let anyone close enough to show who she really was. Now, she sat in the living room on a completely alien world, populated entirely by Humans, and found herself completely comfortable with not only the team of three other Huntresses that she had come to think of as family, but the genetically-enhanced super soldier as well. The more she thought about it, the more appealing it sounded for Remnant to officially be joining the UEG.

XXXXX

 **July 6, 2682; 1753 Hours**

 **UNSC** ** _Guardian_** **, Deck 3**

Ivan smiled as he strolled through the metallic halls of _Guardian_ , which was on its way back to Remnant, Winter walking alongside him. He had spent the last week on Earth with his team, who he had come to think of as family. Unsurprisingly, the time seemed to pass a bit too quickly for his liking.

The last few days that they shared on the UEG capital world were relaxed, spending most of their time simply lounging around the house or strolling around the city. Weiss had spent a fair bit of time shopping around, finding UEG clothing to be rather appealing. Ruby, surprisingly, was completely inseparable from the Heiress. Ivan had noticed that, ever since they arrived on Earth, Ruby and Weiss seemed to be spending every conceivable second together, with Weiss seeming far more relaxed and amicable than usual. Ruby, naturally, was still her normal ball of energy.

He and Winter had spent most of their time together as well, simply enjoying the time away from the politics and turmoil of Remnant, not having to worry about any Grimm attacks or angry superior officers. Blake and Yang spent every waking moment together as well. Ivan was rather happy to find that Blake was comfortable enough around his family to remove her bow whenever she was in the house, a comfort that she was obviously still not used to experiencing.

Their return to _Guardian_ was rather strange, with Ironwood seeing Winter practically glued to Ivan's side. Either he had no idea what was going on, or he simply did not care enough to bring it up.

Ivan felt the familiar lurch of a ship leaving the Slipstream beneath his feet, knowing that their journey back to Remnant's system had finally come to an end after the two day trip. After a few moments of walking, Ivan felt a strange tingling sensation from his Neural Implant. At first, he attributed it to his implant reconnecting to the Remnant Defense Force's communications network, but the jolt of searing pain that pulsated through his head a moment later proved him wrong.

Ivan visibly winced, grinding his teeth together as a searing pain ran the length of his spine, emanating from his Neural Implant. He let out a pained groan, earning a look of concern from Winter. "What's wrong?" She asked. "Are you alright?"

Ivan sighed, pushing the slowly-lessening pain into the back of his mind for a short while. "I just had some of the worst bio-feedback I've ever felt…" Ivan commented, massaging the back of his neck.

"What?" Winter asked, unsure of what the SPARTAN was talking about.

"My Neural Implant just started trying to burn a hole through my spinal cord…" Ivan said, wincing as another, shorter jolt of pain reverberated through his mind. "That only happens when a communications network goes into complete overload."

"What would cause the network to do that?" Winter asked, looking concerned.

"No idea…" Ivan began, sending a quick command to his Implant. "Captain, what's going on?" He asked, connecting his Implant's communicator to the ship's bridge.

"Remnant's communications grid just went fucking bonkers." The Captain of _Guardian_ responded, obviously feeling the same thing that Ivan was. "Wait one." He said, putting the communication on hold.

Ivan sighed, feeling his Neural Implant finally start filtering out the junk data that was being pumped into it. He was amazed at the amount being filtered through the communication systems, several dozen terabits of information every few seconds. "What's going on?" Winter asked.

"Remnant's comms grid is going nuts, and it looks like anyone with a Neural Implant just felt it." Ivan responded. "Waiting on the Captain for an actual report of what's going on."

Almost as if on cue, the Captain re-opened the communication with Ivan. "SPARTAN, you and Team RWBY need to report to the Bridge immediately." He said, his words sounding incredibly serious.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"Vale is under attack." The Captain responded. "Groundside Defensive Grid has gone down completely and the White Fang are hitting targets all over the city. All orbital assets are to prepare for a combat insertion into Vale."


	21. Chapter 21: Beacon's Fall

**Chapter 21: Beacon's Fall**

 **July 6, 2682; 1800 Hours**

 **UNSC** ** _Guardian_** **, Bridge**

All of Team RWBY, including Winter and Ivan, ran through the metal blast door of the _Guardian_ 's bridge. The Captain ran an exasperated hand across his face, surprised to find the SPARTAN and his team had covered that distance so quickly. On the bridge as well, was General Ironwood. "Captain, what's going on?" Ivan asked, causing the aged Captain to sigh.

"Somehow, the White Fang have managed to deploy some kind of cyber-warfare suite against Vale." The Captain began, activating a holographic projection on the central display of the Bridge. The projection depicted Vale, with the defenses on the outside of the Kingdom registered on the display as inoperable/destroyed. There were a lot of these markers. "All of the Kingdom's defensive grid, including the city's anti-air defense stations and shield projectors, is down."

"How could this happen?" Ironwood asked, staring at the projection of the city.

"We're working on that little bit, General." The Captain said, slightly irritated. "On top of the downed defensive grid, the White Fang have been hitting various points around the city… hard."

"And these points are…?" Winter asked, unsurprisingly being the most collected member of the group.

"Beacon, UEG Embassy, Vale Police Stations, Dust Shops, you name it." The Captain said. "A few of them tried to hit Firebase India, but their attack was unsuccessful. The Firebase is being set up as a safe zone for the duration of this attack, and all available units are hereby ordered to prepare for combat insertion, as per Admiral Bishop's orders."

"How are the Atlesian Fleets doing?" Ironwood asked, trying to make sense of the display before him.

"They're holding their own." The Captain responded. "No Atlesian airship has been breached, nor has any armor been compromised."

"Captain, does _Guardian_ carry any armed dropships?" Ivan asked, earning a cocked eyebrow from the Captain.

"Son… this is a diplomatic vessel." The Captain said. "The biggest gun we have on the damned thing is the ARC-920 in the armory."

"Fair point…" Ivan said, realizing how incredibly stupid his question was.

"We do, however, have a small detachment of unarmed D79-TC dropships onboard." The Captain explained. "I want all available combat units to report to hangers 1-5 and prepare for a combat drop."

"Where will the LZ be, Captain?" Ivan asked.

"General Ironwood?" The Captain asked, looking to the tall, broadly-built General. "Admiral Bishop is requesting permission to issue orders to Atlesian Ground Assets."

"Consider permission given." Ironwood responded, nodding.

"Excellent… I want you, a small detachment of Marines, and Miss Winter Schnee to insert just outside Firebase India." The Captain began, zooming in on the large city square that the Firebase occupied. "We need you to open up a route to get civilians to safety."

"Yes, sir." Ivan said, nodding his head.

"As for you four." The Captain said, gesturing to Team RWBY. "You're going to Beacon to assist with the evacuation of the school. Atlesian Military assets and UNSC ground forces are working on pulling all personnel from the area and bringing them to Vale." All of Team RWBY nodded, earning a similar gesture from the Captain. "Excellent. Report to the hangers immediately."

XXXXX

 **July 6, 2682; 1813 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vale**

Ivan jumped out of the rear of an OD-Green Pelican Dropship, his Forerunner Alloy Combat Skin assembling itself around him. Behind him came Winter, then a squad of eight Marines. Once he hit the ground, a tidal wave of smells crashed down on him. It smelled like death mixed with gunpowder and molten metal. It was stomach-churning.

He looked around Main-Street Vale, the image sending a chill down his spine. Buildings were wrecked with bullet holes pockmarking their edifices, the streets were torn up, cars were strewn across the boulevard, scorch marks lined the ground and walls around him, and a few corpses were littering the streets, most of them civilians. A few corpses of White Fang fighters, UNSC Marines, Vale Police, or Atlesian Military were littered around as well.

Ivan mentally steeled himself as the cacophony of war sounded around him. Not even fifty meters down the street, a small group of Atlesian Knights were standing off in a firefight against the White Fang, with only the Knights being visible.

Ivan willed his Light Rifle into reality, the Forerunner weapon assembling itself in his hands. "On me." Ivan said, his voice distorted slightly by his suit's systems. The Marines fell in behind him, with Winter sticking closer to him. As they neared the group of Knights, Ivan was surprised to find a small squad of ODSTs pinned down with them, occasionally popping up to return fire at the Faunus militia.

Without a moment's hesitation, Ivan used the immense strength of his armor to propel himself forward, grinding to a stop just behind the group of ODSTs. He fired a pair of shots at the White Fang, hitting one clean through the neck and sending the rest into cover. Unsurprisingly, the sudden appearance of an eight-foot tall suit of armor startled them.

Winter was a mere second behind him, using her glyphs to propel herself first to the group of Knights, then vaulting over the fallen pillar that they were using for cover. Another ivory-white glyph appeared behind her, propelling her towards the nearest group of two White Fang fighters. In an instant, she was right on top of them.

Ivan watched out of the corner of his eye as Winter slid to a stop just beneath the collapsed bit of wall that the two Faunus were using as cover. She darted around, simply running the first one through with her blade, then yanking it back out. The second was simply too stunned to do anything other than stare as she knocked the rifle out of his hands, kicked his feet out from under him, and jabbed downwards through his chest.

The eight Marines had kept the other White Fang occupied, giving Winter the opening she needed to move again. She darted towards the other group of four White Fang, tossing a bundle of Blast Dust in their direction, knocking two off their feet. In a rather elegant, and downright terrifying display of combat prowess, she simply danced through the White Fang fighters that the Marines, Knights, and Ivan couldn't get to. She was little more than a white blur as she moved around the street, flashing from cover to cover and cutting her way through the Faunus.

A few of the Marines stood slack-jawed as she nimbly flipped over the final White Fang, drawing her second, straighter stiletto blade from its compartment within her main sword, and stabbed it through the final fighter's neck. With an air of confidence, she whipped her blades off to the right, removing most of the blood, and slid them back into her sheath.

Ivan had to shake himself out of the stupor that her display had put him in. Much to his disliking, he was immediately put back into the same stunned state when he looked to her, finding her to be sending a rather quick wink in his direction. "Goddamn…" Ivan muttered to himself, jogging forward with the rest of the forces to catch up with the Specialist.

XXXXX

 **July 6, 2682; 1815 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon**

Team RWBY disembarked from a Pelican, with eight Marines at their backs. As they stood at the landing pad just outside Beacon, they found themselves looking at a battered school. There were dozens of huntsmen-in-training that they recognized, all of them either fighting near the center of the courtyard or retreating towards the landing pad. Around the pad, there were six Atlesian Bullhead VTOLs, along with six Pelican Dropships. A small group of SPARTAN IVs were standing their ground, forming a perimeter around the landing zone with a force of twenty ODSTs and forty Atlesian Knights.

"So Team RWBY is our support?" A familiar voice shouted out from nearby. They all turned to look, surprised to find Thorne standing in a suit of what appeared to be MJOLNIR armor without a helmet. He had a Battle Rifle slung across his back and a bandolier of grenades across his chest.

"Thorne?" Yang asked, surprised to see the ONI Agent on the front lines. "What are you doing here?"

"Supporting my men!" Thorne responded, his voice drowned out slightly by the sound of a Pelican's massive engines throttling up, then departing. "And I hope you're here to do the same! I don't know how many are still in the school, but you four would be a great help."

"Where do you need us?" Weiss asked.

"Literally anywhere." Thorne responded. "We're pulling all of our assets in from orbit, and that isn't even enough to contain this shitstorm." As if to accent Thorne's point, a pair of Broadsword fighters flew overhead, one of them firing an air-air missile against a Giant Nevermore, with the other one taking a missile from some point on the ground, causing the fighter to go into a spin and crash into the plateau. "Get everyone to the landing pads, ASAP!" Thorne ordered, motioning to the school. The team of huntresses nodded, and set off.

Once they reached the courtyard, they found a large collection of their friends fending off a much larger group of Grimm and White Fang. Nora gleefully leapt upwards, slamming Magnhild down on the head of an Elderwolf, smashing it into the cobblestone path and splintering its bony plating. Ren simply fired his pair of machine pistols at anything in his path. Sun and Neptune worked in a rather strict and almost choreographed rhythm, advancing through a small pack of Beowolves. Coco stood with her gatling cannon deployed, splintering a pair of young Beowolves instantly. Velvet danced in-between Griffons, flipping between their forms and using a surprising amount of physical strength to beat them down.

Team RWBY split up, moving to assist the various groups of their friends in fending off the Grimm. Ruby rocketed forward, assisted by Crescent Rose's recoil, and sliced clean through a Beowolf that threatened to drop down on top of Nora. Weiss propelled herself forward with a Repulsion Glyph, moving to help Ren in fending off a Deathstalker. Blake flashed forward, using her Shadow to jump to Sun and Neptune's assistance. Yang ran towards Velvet and Coco, firing off a series of high explosive rounds from Ember Celica.

The Huntresses danced around the Grimm, or simply pummeled through them in Yang's case, for what felt like a mere few seconds. The combined prowess of the huntsmen-in-training was more than enough to fell the seemingly younger Grimm rather quickly. Once the final Grimm fell, each of the huntsmen was either panting from the sheer amount of physical exertion, or smiling like a madwoman, in Nora's very special case. "How kind of you to join us!" Sun declared, happily. "Where's the SPARTAN?"

"In the city." Blake said. "He's working with the Marines to open up a route for people to move through."

"We could certainly use some help on this end." Ren said, gesturing to the decaying Grimm. "We're getting overwhelmed here… it's like the Grimm are focusing on Beacon."

Before anyone could comment on the rather strange set of circumstances that led to almost _every_ Grimm seeming to funnel towards the school, the screaming descent of a burning Bullhead drew their attention skyward. At the same time, a series of shouts and a bout of automatic gunfire drew their attention back towards the Landing Pad. Finally, as if to broadcast their existence, a single Valiant-Class Super-Heavy Cruiser descended towards the city at a rather quick pace, the dozens of autocannons on its surface opening fire, knocking flying Grimm out of the sky. From its hangers, dozens of UNSC Strike Fighters were deployed, most of them moving to support the pinned Atlesian Navy… at least until the Atlesian Flagship seemed to turn its guns on the Valiant.

In an instant, the shielded Valiant-Class found itself being fired upon by Ironwood's flagship. The turret-mounted Short Pulse Laser Cannons splashing against the massive Cruiser's energy shields with wild abandon. The Valiant-Class, in response, opened up will a full barrage of ARCHER missiles that began swarming towards the Atlesian flagship, the massive warheads ripping the vessel apart at the seams. The Huntsmen stood slack-jawed as the Atlesian vessel began losing altitude as missiles continually slammed into its armored hull. Eventually, the flagship slammed into the densely-populated undercity, the impact audible even from their great distance. "Oh my god…" Yang said, barely resisting the urge to stand there, numb.

Weiss' eyes went wide as an incredibly loud noise, indicative of something entering an atmosphere at high speeds, sounded off from somewhere near the city. In an instant, the Atlesian Navy found itself hit by a barrage of UNSC MAC rounds, splitting the vessels down the middle and sending them towards the same general area as their Flagship. "What is going on?" Ruby asked, watching with a mix of confusion, desperation, and sadness. In the confusion, UNSC fighters turned to engage Atlesian fighters, and UNSC ground-based defenses began firing upwards at the Atlesian Navy's remaining few airships.

All across Vale's airspace, the UNSC forces had turned their guns on the Atlesians. Airships, Bullheads, and fighters went up in blinding displays of light as the UNSC's superior firepower made itself known.

Snapping them out of their stupor, they found themselves being fired upon by marching Atlesian Knights. The Huntsmen scrambled back into action, moving to engage the Atlesian androids. The stunning turn of events almost caught Ruby too off-guard, but the Knight that had attempted to put a pulse rifle round towards her found itself dismantled by Myrtenaster. Ruby gave Weiss a grateful nod as she moved to cut her way through the androids with the help of the heiress.

After more time spent fighting, and a few near-casualties, the Huntsmen stood in the courtyard, surrounded by the destroyed Atlesian androids. Neptune was unlucky enough to catch a rifle round to his shoulder during the altercation, but the rest were unscathed. As they were left panting from physical exertion once again, Weiss spoke up. "We need to move… it looked like that Bullhead crashed into the cafeteria. There's probably some students hiding out around there."

"I'll go check it out." Blake said, earning a nod from everyone.

"I'll go with you." Yang said, finding herself stopped by the onyx-haired girl.

"Yang, I'll be fine. You need to stay here and make sure the path to the Landing Pad is clear."

"But-" Yang tried, only to be silenced by a look from Blake. "Fine…"

"Thank you." Blake said, giving a genuine, albeit weak, smile. With that, she took off towards the Cafeteria.

"Wait…" Ruby began, looking around. "Where's Pyrrha and Jaune?"

"They went with Ozpin." Ren answered. "They went into the Tower around an hour ago."

From nearby, a series of roars and calls that could easily be identified as a pack of Beowolves closing in could be heard. "Well… let's get to work." Yang said, giving a confident grin.

XXXXX

 **July 6, 2682; 1821 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vale**

Ivan ducked into cover as a Nevermore's sharpened feather flew a mere few inches over his head, impaling an Atlesian Knight to a wall. He popped back up, firing his Light Rifle at the massive Grimm. One of the Marines near him fired a slug from the ARC-920 railgun, spearing the Nevermore through the chest and overpenetrating the creature. It slumped over, dead, in the middle of the city's massive central park.

A small squadron of Atlesian Soldiers stood up from their position, sending the SPARTAN, his Specialist support, and the Marines behind him a gesture of thanks. He had spotted them being pinned down by the Grimm, and had broken off to help. The Soldiers were working on moving civilians through the park when they were ambushed by the massive creature. The small group of civilians began moving through the street, directed by the Marines.

As if to simply show Ivan just how wrong everything was going, a pair of Atlesian Knights seemed to stutter for a moment, their holographic visors that usually displayed a pixilated face going blank for the slightest fraction of a second. Ivan then realized that all of the Knights were experiencing this. Once he saw them recover, he felt relieved, only for the slightest moment. One of them raised its rifle, pointing it towards Winter. Without hesitation, Ivan slotted a hard light bolt through the android's head, splintering it. It was about this time that everything went well and truly wrong.

A small group of the Androids began firing on the Marines and Soldiers alike, catching the unsuspecting Marines off-guard. Another group began firing on civilians indiscriminately. Despite Ivan's attempts, the Atlesian Knights managed to cut through a large portion of the Marines that were escorting the civilians back to the Firebase. The remaining few Marines turned their guns on the Knights.

Winter looked stunned for the slightest second, then immediately propelled herself forward to begin hacking through the slower androids. As Ivan fired on the Knights, his armor propelling him at super-human speeds, his comms were absolutely bursting with activity.

"The Knights are hostile! I repeat, the Knights are hostile!"

"We're pinned, requesting immediate support!"

"Civvies down, Knights are firing on civilians!"

"All UNSC Ground forces, direct your fire towards any and all automated Atlesian Military assets, effective immediately." Ivan recognized this voice. It was Admiral Bishop. "Do not fire on human Atlesian soldiers unless fired upon."

Ivan felt the world shake beneath his feet as a massive explosion occurred overhead. Ivan looked up after ducking into cover, finding an Atlesian Flagship to be firing its main weapon into the shields of a Valiant-Class Cruiser, sending explosions rippling across the sky. The Valiant turned its guns and missiles on the Flagship, and began opening fire. The engines of the Flagship eventually sputtered out, sending the ship on a collision course with the lower-income sector of Vale. An instant later, a series of orbitally-fired MAC rounds riddled the Atlesian Fleet's hulls, obliterating the weaker vessels almost instantly and sending the Airships towards the ground. A dozen of the massive Airships crashed all throughout Vale, the ground shaking with each impact.

Ivan grit his teeth, pushing aside the thoughts of the possibility of betrayal and untold civilian deaths caused by the crashes, and continued fighting. Slowly, the UNSC and Atlesian forces regrouped and managed to start whittling the Knights down. Once the last android fell, Ivan began surveying the damage.

Littering the street, there was at least twenty Marines lying in pools of their own blood, some of them breathing their final breaths through shredded lungs. Some were crying out in agony, holding their wounds in an attempt to slow the bleeding. Well over 100 civilians were littering the streets. None of them were quite as lucky as the UNSC Marines, since they didn't have armor to protect them. Almost all of them were either dead, or were going to be dead in a very short span of time.

A pair of Marine corpsmen ran over towards a few fallen Marines and civilians, their medical kits and biofoam injectors readied. As Ivan ran over to help the Marine medics with their efforts, his suit's motion trackers detected three incoming blips, identified as yellow… unknown.

Ivan turned to look in the direction that the blips were coming from, fully prepared to fire, but was pleasantly surprised to find Goodwitch, Qrow, and… Ironwood. Ivan's grip tensed on his light rifle as he saw the Atlesian General, but was surprised to see that half of his uniform's shirt was torn off, revealing a fully cybernetic right arm and torso.

Once they were close enough to the soldiers and Marines to be identified as friendlies, Ironwood spoke up. "Who here is the ranking officer?" He asked, a few of the Marines looking at him with a mix of concern and confusion.

Ivan, in response, stood up. "That would be me." He said, cradling his rifle in a low-ready.

"SPARTAN Chesnokov?" Ironwood asked, not recognizing the massive suit of armor.

Ivan simply raised his rifle, pointing it directly to Ironwood. More than a few of the Marines followed suit, having seen their brothers in arms cut down by Knights. The two huntsmen on either side of Ironwood stared in bewilderment as the remaining UNSC Marines aimed their rifles at the General. "SPARTAN… this wasn't my doing!" Ironwood defended.

"Really?" Ivan asked, his voice thick with distrust and venom. " _Your_ flagship opening up on the Valiant, unconfirmed numbers of civilian casualties, hundreds of Marines cut down by _your_ Knights across the city? I find that hard to believe." Winter ran over to Ivan, placing her hand on his arm. He remained steadfast.

"He's telling the truth." Qrow said, holding out his hands in a neutral gesture as he stepped forward. "Someone hijacked the Knights from his ship."

"My ship that I need to get to in order to stop this." Ironwood defended, holding out his hands in a similar gesture. He might be a Huntsman, but even he could realize when he had no chance against the SPARTAN and at least fifty Marines.

Ivan glanced over to Winter, looking for confirmation. She simply nodded, her expression remaining neutral. Ivan sighed, lowering his rifle. "Marines, stand down!" He ordered, all of the Marines lowering their rifles, a few of them grumbling obscenities in the process. Ivan pressed a hand to the side of his helmet, speaking into its built-in communicator. "Firebase India this is SPARTAN C-124, requesting immediate reinforcements in Vale City Sector Twenty One."

"SPARTAN, we're stretched thin as it is." The base's CO responded. "Unless you've got a damned good reason, I can't spare any men."

"I need support to help me shut down the Knights." Ivan responded.

"How many men do you need?" The CO asked.

XXXXX

 **July 6, 2682; 1853 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon**

Yang, Ruby, and Weiss continued leading students back towards the landing pad, unsurprised to see only UNSC forces remaining. There were four remaining Pelicans, as the fifth had left after being fully loaded with students. "Excellent work!" Thorne said, turning to face the three Huntresses.

"There's still a lot more in the Courtyard." Ruby said, gesturing back the way they came. "And somehow, the White Fang got Paladins out here."

Thorne sighed. "Damnit… Reinforcements from Reach are still a few hours away."

Before anyone present could add their thoughts to the conversation, a rumbling tremor reverberated throughout the school, causing all of the ODSTs, SPARTANs, and Huntresses to look around, confused. What they saw either downright terrified them, or was simply so ridiculous that they couldn't even process it.

The peak of a mountain out in the far distance near the eastern border of Vale cracked open, allowing a massive Grimm, easily the length of a Strident-Class Frigate, to emerge. The creature appeared to vaguely resemble a wyvern from the fantasy tales, and let out a loud shriek that was audible from several kilometers away. It began to fly towards Beacon. "You have got to be fucking kidding me…" Thorne commented, sighing.

XXXXX

 **July 6, 2682; 1847 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon (Cafeteria)**

Blake continued through the rubble-strewn walkways of Beacon. She was delayed slightly after a group of Atlesian Knights, much to her surprise, attempted to ambush her. She hacked through them relatively quickly, leaving the disassembled androids lying in pools of their own lubricant and parts.

As she neared the cafeteria, the stench of burning wood and death became clearer and clearer, eventually becoming downright overwhelming. She rounded a corner, finding the shattered, twisted metal frame of the Bullhead to be resting on the walkway by the cafeteria's main entrance. Fuel was leaking from the Bullhead's engines, the smell of noxious fumes mixing with the ambient smell of destruction.

Blake's attention was caught by the sound of a rather shrill scream, drawing her attention towards one of the cafeteria's many shattered windows. She sprinted over, Gambol Shroud drawn and prepared to strike. She was barely able to keep her grip on the weapon as she looked at the scene before her.

She saw an all-too-familiar form wearing a black coat with an intricate pattern woven into the back, the red-spiked hair that stood up around the short black horns on his head almost shining in the same color as the blade that he ran through a student that was trying to take cover underneath a table. Blake let out a short gasp as she watched the blade spear through the student's neck, only to be twisted slightly as it was ripped out horizontally, leaving the poor girl's neck to be hanging on by nothing more than a thin thread of skin and a few blood vessels.

Already being aware of her presence, the Bull Faunus turned to face her, a wicked smile dancing across his face as he looked upon his old partner. Everything with the exception of his lips, lower jaw, and hair, was obstructed by an intricately carved Grimm mask, red lines dancing across the ivory surface. Adam spoke, his voice filled with a sickening sense of arrogance. "Hello Blake, my darling."


	22. Chapter 22: Escalation

**Chapter 22: Escalation**

 **July 6, 2682; 1901 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vale**

Ivan smiled beneath his Forerunner Alloy helmet, watching the APFSDS round from a Scorpion-II Tank blast a Deathstalker's bony faceplate wide open, effectively liquefying the Scorpion-Grimm's internals. He rode on the front-right tread cover of the lead Scorpion-II. The newest generation in armored warfare, the Scorpion-II Main Battle Tank, was a very different animal than the Human-Covenant War variant that had become so famous. At a cursory glance, it appeared almost identical; but it was what laid inside that truly made the difference.

The targeting systems were completely modernized, along with the main cannon. The Scorpion-II featured a 125mm smoothbore main cannon, along with a coaxial 20mm autocannon. While intended to completely replace the original M808B design, the Scorpion-II had quickly come to occupy its own class of tank, returning to the doctrine of having both heavy and medium tanks.

"Looks like our Scorpion's stinger's a bit bigger!" The tank's hull-MG gunner said. Ivan resisted the urge to throw something at the Marine for making such a Yang-tier joke.

"Hey, General?" Ivan asked, speaking into his suit's communicator. "Any word on that giant fucking dragon thing?"

"The _wyvern_ …" Ironwood responded, correcting the SPARTAN on his fantasy creatures. "According to legend, was contained in the mountains of Vale centuries ago. Apparently, it was considered a Grimm Brood Mother."

"Pretty apt description…" Qrow commented over the radio. "Especially given the fact that the stupid thing's been shitting Grimm all over the city."

"Thing's pretty fuckin' scary." Ivan affirmed. "Damned thing's already eaten a half-dozen missiles from our fighters."

"Can't the UNSC hit it from orbit?" Winter asked.

"And risk missing such a small, quick target and hit Beacon, which happens to contain more than a few civilians and military assets?" Ivan asked. "They're telling us to either evacuate Beacon in full, or figure something out until reinforcements from Reach arrive."

"When will they be arriving?" Ironwood asked.

"Few hours." Ivan responded, the rattling of the 20mm cannon drowning out his words to his own ears. The small pack of Beowolves was simply obliterated by the quick-firing HVAP rounds. "Until then… we have what we have."

"Hopefully it's enough." Glynda said, being the realist that she was. Ivan knew full well that the UNSC was woefully outnumbered in Vale. Sure, they had firepower and orbital supremacy, but they weren't conquering a planet. Orbital bombardment of Grimm and White Fang was completely out of the question, given the very real threat of civilian casualties. The Atlesian Command Ship and the rest of their fleet was a special case, considering that it was sitting well outside the city limits when it turned its guns on the UEG. The battle, for now, was restricted to firefights and precision airstrikes.

The ground shook violently as the Scorpion-II fired another round, sending the high-explosive shell into the side of a Griffon. Once the smoke cleared, the road ahead was completely devastated, a larger building had collapsed directly into the street's center. "This is as far as the tanks are getting you, Colonel!" The armored column's commander said over the comms. "You're on foot from here."

With that, Ivan, Winter, Ironwood, Qrow, Glynda, five SPARTAN IVs, thirty ODSTs, and forty Marines all dismounted their transport Warthogs and the tread covers of the tanks. "On me!" Ivan ordered, giving a quick "Form Up" motion with his hand.

XXXXX

 **July 6, 2682; 1831 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon (Cafeteria)**

Seeing the image of her former partner before her, Blake backed up instinctively. She froze when Adam's voice rang out over the crackling fires and screaming people. "Running away again, my love? Is that what you've become? A coward?" Adam let out a sickening chuckle. "We were destined to change the world… to light the fires of a global revolution." Blake watched in horror as Adam pressed his boot down on the chest of an Atlesian student, drawing Wilt out of its sheath and preparing to stab down into the student. "Consider this the-"

Adam was cut off as Blake propelled herself forward, using her shadow as an accelerant. Gambol Shroud's blade connected with Wilt, sending sparks flying in all directions as the Dust-infused blade clashed with Blake's. Adam, while caught off guard, was easily able to hold back Blake's attempt to overpower him. He let out another spine-chilling laugh as the narrow slits of his mask seemed to glare directly through Blake's eyes. "You really should have run."

At that, Adam sent a powerful kick into Blake's stomach, knocking her off her feet. Blake quickly redirected herself as she fell, landing on her feet and staring Adam down. "I really wish you ran, sweetheart." Adam said, giving a predatory grin. "But since you're here… I'm going to make you pay for betraying our cause."

Adam quickly drew Wilt again, lunging at Blake and forcing her back. Blake held out against the superior strength of the Bull Faunus for a short time, but he eventually came to overpower her, knocking her to the ground with a quick series of jabs and feints, eventually culminating in her having her back slammed against a stone pillar, a few cracks forming in the marble. In a rather impressive display of dexterity, Adam slashed down with Wilt, severing the cable connecting Gambol Shroud's blade to the sheath. He casually kicked the severed blade aside, his grip going white-knuckled under his gloves. "This could've been our day, damnit! Can't you see that?!"

"This isn't what I wanted!" Blake shouted, her voice coming out with a slight waver. "I wanted equality, not this!" She attempted to fire a few rounds from Gambol Shroud's pistol at Adam, but he deftly intercepted the metal slugs with the flat of Wilt's blade, causing it to glow slightly brighter.

"What you want is impossible!" Adam shouted, kicking Blake right in the side of the head… hard. Blake gasped as the steel tip of Adam's boot connected with her right orbital bone, scattering stars across her vision. Adam's voice changed in a mood swing that would have given Blake whiplash, immediately going from hostile to an almost beckoning tone. "And what I want… is you, Blake."

In Blake's stunned and dazed state, she was unable to act against Adam's boot pressing down on her wrist, wrenching the pistol form of Gambol Shroud out of her grip, and kicking it aside. "All I wanted was for you to stand by me while we put a stop to the damned Humans-"

"What can you do to stop them?!" Blake shouted, catching Adam off guard. "Look out there!" Blake couldn't tell, but Adam's gaze flickered over to the shattered window for a moment, catching a glimpse of a pair of Strident-Class Frigates firing their autocannons into large clusters of Griffons and Nevermores. "What can you do to stop _that?!_ "

Adam scoffed, looking down at the already-forming bruise on the upper cheek of his old partner. "While I'm out there, making those Humans feel the pain our people have felt for centuries… I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love."

Blake's eyes widened as she heard the all-too-familiar sound of her Blonde brawler shouting her name. From the window behind Adam, Blake could make out the long blonde mane rushing towards the cafeteria, batting a Knight aside with her sheer strength. Her eyes darted around the area, looking for Blake as she called her name. "Starting with her…" Adam finished, standing upright and smiling a broad, predatory, malicious smile. He twirled Wilt around in his hand, stabbing down directly through Blake's left side, eliciting a scream from the raven-haired Faunus girl.

Yang whipped around, spotting the coat-wearing White Fang leader, his blade running clean through Blake's side. She blinked once, not believing the sight before her. In that single blink, her eyes shifted from their normal lilac hue to a bright, menacing red. "Get away from her!" Yang shouted, deploying Ember Celica and propelling herself towards the sword-bearer with a pair of fired rounds from her gauntlets. Blake was powerless to shout for her to stop, her body seized up from having the searing blade of Wilt stabbed through her.

Adam saw the numerous, blatant openings in the Blonde's careless attack, deciding to take the path of least resistance. He pulled Wilt out of Blake's side, slashing in a diagonal towards the lunging blonde. His small grin turned to a broad smile as he saw her right arm sever from her body. He caught a quick glimpse of the deep, seared cut that his blade left across her stomach and lower ribcage, letting out a chuckle as she thudded against the marble floor of Beacon's cafeteria. "Weak…" He muttered to himself, strolling over towards the blonde.

As he turned towards the blonde, whipping the blood from his blade, Blake threw herself between him and the brawler, glaring daggers at him through amber eyes filled with unshed tears. "Why must you hurt me, Blake?" He asked, attempting to slash horizontally to sever the head of his former partner.

For the slightest fraction of a second, Adam thought himself successful, seeing her body fall separately from her head. His feeling of elation was quickly dashed as he saw the Shadow Clone fade away, finding Blake to be running from the cafeteria, blonde huntress over her shoulder. He saw the faint trickle of blood leaving the cafeteria in their wake, letting out a disappointed sigh as he pulled Blush from its place on his hip, firing a point-blank shot into the head of a charging Beowolf.

Blake couldn't be sure how long she ran for, but it felt like an eternity. The wound in her side burned like none other, and the weight of the Blonde was starting to wear on her. When she was about halfway back to the courtyard, Blake tripped over her own two feet, simply being too fatigued to move at the speeds she was used to. It was about now that she realized just how bad Yang's wounds were.

The wound across her stomach and lower ribcage was seared shut by Wilt's Dust-infused blade, but the wound on her arm was not quite so lucky. The stub of her left bicep was bleeding rapidly, and it didn't show any sign of stopping. Blake shook herself out of her stupor, the tears finally starting to fall. "No, no, no, no…" She muttered to herself, looking for something, anything, to help staunch the bleeding. In a rather stunning moment of realization, she reached up to the top of her head, quickly undoing her bow, and removing the long strand of fabric from her head. She began wrapping it around Yang's severed arm in a pressure dressing that she remembered from her days treating herself after runs with… Adam.

She pushed those thoughts aside as she finished the dressing, satisfied that the bleeding was as stopped as it would ever be. She picked Yang back up, slinging her over-shoulder as best she could, and continued back on her way towards the Courtyard.

As she neared, she saw that the ODSTs and Thorne had advanced into the Courtyard, and were ushering students towards the landing pad. One of the ODSTs spotted her, shouting out to Thorne. "Thorne, there she is!" He shouted, catching the ONI Agent's attention.

A pair of ODST Medics rushed over to her assistance, bringing her towards the archway that connected the Courtyard to the landing pad. Blake found herself laid down by the pair of trained medics, with Yang put a mere few inches from her. The Medics, seeing the severity of Yang's wounds, elected to focus most of their attention on her. Both of them pulled out Bio-foam canisters and field medical kits, and began their work. Neither of them moved to stop Blake's hand from intertwining with Yang's remaining one.

Thorne jogged over, his MJOLNIR whirring as he ran. The rest of Teams RWBY, JNPR, SSSN, and CFVY ran over as well. Surprisingly, Weiss, Ruby, Jaune, and Pyrrha were missing. Thorne noticeably paled as he looked at the scene before him, taking in a deep breath as he reached up towards the communicator in his ear. "Ivan…"

XXXXX

 **July 6, 2682; 1912 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vale**

Ivan wrenched a large, metallic plate off of the side of the downed Atlesian Command Ship. The white metal alloy bent under his armor's grasp rather easily. The trek through the flattened cityscape was not a pleasant one. Entire swaths of Vale's undercity were flattened by the falling Atlesian fleet, made only worse by the constant stream of Grimm. The airship's human crew appeared to be dead, with only the Knights left prowling around the crash site.

Ivan was quickly reminded that Knights were far more durable than normal humans by the hail of Pulse Rifle fire sent in his direction as he tore through a bulkhead. He quickly ducked back behind the metal plating of the airship's surprisingly thick armor while a pair of ODSTs with heavy weapons moved up. One of them carried an HMG, the other carried a grenade launcher. The ODST with the grenade launcher blind-fired a 40mm grenade around the cover of the ship's plating, the explosive projectile plinking across the metal floor of the ship. The Trooper held the trigger down on the grenade launcher for a few seconds longer than necessary.

The grenade detonated with a soft crackling noise, indicative of an EMP deploying. In perfect synchronization, the HMG-wielding ODST traded places with the grenadier, hefting his large machine gun. He stepped around the corner, hefting the massive cannon, and jammed down on the trigger. The .50 caliber API-T rounds began shredding the convulsing or confused Knight units, rendering them piles of scrap with their high fire-rate. "Clear!" The ODST shouted, slamming a new belt of ammunition into his MG.

Ivan and Winter funneled into the new entryway of the vessel, Winter nonchalantly severing the head of a surviving Knight that had hidden itself behind the bulkhead in an attempt to flank the intruders. "General, where's the control room?" Ivan asked, turning to Ironwood as he stepped through the bulkhead with two of his soldiers.

"Centered on the top deck." Ironwood said, gesturing upwards. "Deck Twelve."

"Alright, let's get moving!" Ivan motioned. "SPARTANs, on me! ODST Fireteams, secure this deck."

Wordlessly, the ODSTs set up a defensive perimeter around the newly-created entrance to the crashed airship. The SPARTANs fell in behind their commanding officer, with Winter standing beside him. Ivan motioned for Ironwood to take the lead.

As Ivan followed Ironwood through the halls of his flagship, he was plagued by thoughts of what had been happening. Seeing the giant Wyvern burst out of a mountain, eat a swarm of ARCHER Missiles, then start circling Beacon certainly gave him a fair surprise. Seeing the Atlesian airships turn their guns on the UNSC was another one. Ivan also was not expecting Ironwood to be mostly machine, but that was very far down on his list of surprises today.

Ironwood pressed a few keys on a small holographic keypad next to a door, allowing the metal bulkhead to grind open. Ivan stepped through after Ironwood, finding a sickening scene. A large collection of Atlesian naval officers were slumped around the entrance to the Bridge, bullets lodged into the backs of their heads. A few of them had their throats slit wide open. It was obviously an execution, given the uniform height of the splatters of blood against the wall.

As Ivan, Winter, and the SPARTANs funneled onto the Bridge, they were surprised to find it devoid of life, with one exception. A man that Ivan recognized instantly was pinned under a fallen beam, his left leg jammed underneath the heavy metal girder. Seeing Torchwick lying there, his leg crushed, and trying to pull himself out was almost humorous. "I've got one!" Ivan said, strolling over to Torchwick, keeping his rifle trained on him.

"Oh-oh-ho…" Torchwick began, wincing. "If it isn't the UNSC's resident boy scout. How are you, Ivan?"

Ivan simply kicked Torchwick across the head, knocking his bowler hat off. "Quiet." Ivan said. "Ironwood, disable the Knights."

"Already done." Ironwood said, pulling out a foreign scroll from the command Terminal and snapping it in half. "What are we going to do with him?"

Ivan shrugged. "I could have one of my SPARTANs amputate that leg…." Ivan began, kneeling down next to Roman and picking up his famous cane from where it lay, just out of reach of the criminal. "Drag him back to Firebase India…" Ivan rolled the weaponized cane around in his hand, glaring down at the rather passively angry Torchwick as he did so. "Ship his ass off to Earth to be tried, and probably executed before a UEG Admiralty Board…" Ivan gripped the handle of the can with one hand and the base with the other, wrenching down with the augmented strength of his armor. The metallic cane snapped under the force of the SPARTAN's grip. "Or I just kill you right fucking here."

A few of the SPARTANs seemed to nod in agreement, seeing Torchwick visibly cringe as his prized weapon was snapped like a twig. "But I'm not that kind of soldier…" Ivan said, tossing the inoperable weapon aside, sending it clattering across the ground. "You'll get your trial, you'll get your sentence, and you'll get a bullet put through your skull for what you did here." Ivan scoffed in disgust at the criminal at his feet. "What do you have to gain by attacking a UEG Heavy Cruiser, getting thousands of Atlesians killed, and _at least_ ten thousand civilians?"

Torchwick gave a weak laugh. "It's not what I have to gain… it's that I can't afford to lose."

Before Ivan could further interrogate the pinned criminal, his communicator buzzed loudly in his helmet. "Go ahead." Ivan said, pressing a hand to the side of his helmet.

"Ivan…" Thorne began. "You need to get to Beacon immediately."

"What's going on, Thorne?" Ivan asked, his attention immediately turning towards the ONI Agent as opposed to Torchwick, who was currently being "helped" by four SPARTANs.

"Blake and Yang are wounded." Thorne began, causing Ivan's stomach to twist into a knot. "Yang's lost her right arm, Blake's suffered some flesh wounds."

"How did this happen?" Ivan demanded.

"According to Miss Belladonna… it was someone by the name of 'Adam Taurus'. She described him as a Bull Faunus, generally wears a black coat and trousers, red hair."

"Son of a bitch…" Ivan muttered, flexing his robotic arm involuntarily. The moment the physical description sank in, Ivan started burning with an intense feeling of… rage. _"As if taking my arm wasn't enough, that fucker takes Yang's too?!"_ Ivan thought to himself, his organic hand trembling against his helmet in anger.

"And on top of that…" Thorne began, oblivious to Ivan's state of pure rage. "Ruby and Weiss ran off to get Pyrrha out of Beacon Tower… right as that giant fuckin' Wyvern thing started circling."

"I'm on the way." Ivan said, closing the communication. "Ironwood, see to it that Torchwick is brought back to the Firebase."

"Of course." Ironwood said. "Where are you going?"

"Beacon." Ivan responded, opening up a new channel. "Commander, this is SPARTAN C-124. I don't care who you have to reallocate from, I need a Pelican Transport at the Airship Crash Site immediately."

XXXXX

 **July 6, 2682; 1927 Hours**

 **Remnant, Beacon (Beacon Tower)**

Ruby sprinted up the Glyphs that Weiss had placed along the edifice of Beacon Tower, covering the height of the Tower rather quickly. Jaune had called Weiss after being sent to Firebase India by Pyrrha, begging her and Ruby to save her. After the Atlesian Knights suddenly collapsed, apparently being shut down remotely, their objective seemed far easier to accomplish. At least… until the Wyvern started circling Beacon Tower.

Once the massive Grimm left its perch on the Tower, Ruby started sprinting up the side, eventually coming to the edge of a window that led into Ozpin's office. She used the recoil from Crescent Rose to propel herself over the small lip that separated the Office from the neck of Beacon Tower, landing on her feet. She was greeted by a truly terrifying and surprising sight.

She saw Cinder Fall standing over Pyrrha, a strange onyx-black bow drawn back and prepared to send an arrow into Pyrrha's chest. Cinder had a strange sort of glowing aura around her eyes, along with a strange feeling of power emanating from her. Pyrrha, on the other hand, was a different story.

Pyrrha had a strange, pronged arrow lodged in the heel of her right foot, keeping her on the ground. Her shield was embedded in the wall across from Ruby, and her spear/rifle was snapped in three pieces. The Wyvern had chosen the exact same time to land on the Tower as Ruby did, causing the entire structure to shake slightly.

A strange heat built up behind Ruby's eyes, feeling almost like tears were ready to spill out in full force. "Pyrrha!" Ruby shouted, the feeling of heat bursting out from her, seeming to explode.

Cinder found herself so startled that she turned her attention away from the redhead kneeling at her feet, and saw Ruby. "What?!" Cinder shouted, immediately silenced.

Cinder's cry was the last thing Ruby heard before the entire world went white, then silence.

The whole world remained a bright, sterile white for what felt like an eternity, eventually fading into an almost comforting black. At some point during her time away from the world of the living, Ruby's ears picked up a small snipped of a sentence.

"She's okay- Bringing her to Firebase-"

XXXXX

 **July 7, 2682; 0348 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vale (Firebase India)**

Ivan stepped out of the rear of his Pelican dropship, sending the Forerunner Helmet back into the slipstream. There were thousands of civilians crowded around the empty space of Firebase India, many of them having nothing more than the clothes on their backs. A large group of UNSC Military Police retained order among the scared civilians, Human and Faunus alike.

While Ivan made his way towards the Command Building near the center of the firebase, a low rumbling sounded off from somewhere above him. He looked up, happy to find it not to be another massive Grimm dragon, but a large collection of UNSC Frigates and Cruisers. The reinforcements from Reach had arrived. After the Knights were shut down, most of the resistance was limited to the small pockets of White Fang and remaining Grimm. Much of the inner city had been re-secured.

Ivan's communicator beeped, reminding him that his work was still not done. He pressed the side of his ear, accepting the communication. "Go ahead."

"Colonel, I wasn't sure who to go to about this, since Agent Thorne is indisposed…" The Commander of Firebase India began, sounding rather unsure of himself. "There's an Atlesian Airship requesting permission to land here at the Firebase."

"They've got some balls…" Ivan muttered.

"This one's civilian, sir." The commander responded. "Its registry number belongs to the Schnee Dust Company."

"Motherfucker…" Ivan muttered to himself. "Permission is granted… I'd never hear the end of it if HIGHCOM got wind that I turned away Mister Schnee."

Ivan doubled back towards the large landing pad near the easternmost wall of the Firebase, where a small Atlesian Bullhead was setting down. Ivan willed his armor back into the Slipstream, choosing to look a bit less intimidating. He was left in his Gel-Layered bodysuit, with his rank pins on the shoulders.

From the Bullhead came Jacques Schnee, joined by a man in a black suit that was carrying an Atlesian Pulse Rifle. Schnee seemed surprised to see Ivan standing at the edge of the Landing Pad, his hands clasped behind his back. "Mister Schnee…" Ivan began. "Welcome to Firebase India. Might I ask what you're doing here? This is an active combat zone, not to mention the no-fly zone."

"I'm sorry for intruding, Ivan." Jacques began, stepping forward. "But I'm here to bring Weiss and Winter back to Atlas."

"Excuse me?" Ivan asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"It's obviously not safe here in Vale… I want to bring them home." Jacques explained.

"It's safer in the Kingdom that built the drones that turned their rifles on civilians?" Ivan asked, trying to make sense of what he was hearing.

"I know that it may not make much sense now, but it's for the best." Schnee explained, not doing much to ease Ivan's fears.

Winter, unsurprisingly, chose the worst possible moment to walk up next to Ivan, looking tired and ragged from near-constant fighting. "Father?" Winter asked, seeing Jacques. "What are you doing here?"

"Brining you and Weiss back to Atlas." Jacques began. "Where is your sister?"

"She's being tended to by UNSC doctors in the Infirmary here on-base." Ivan explained. "She's relatively unharmed, it's simply an examination. I'm obligated to keep her here until her examination is complete."

"I can wait." Jacques said, nodding in understanding. "Winter, I expect you to come as well."

"I have a duty to remain here, Father." Winter said, obviously irritated. "I cannot leave now."

"And why is that?" Jacques asked, looking to his eldest daughter.

"Because Atlas no longer has a military force." Throne said, climbing the steps up onto the landing pad. Thorne had a bandage covering his left orbital bone, stitches in his cheek, and a suit of MJOLNIR still covering his body. Ivan recognized Thorne's MJOLNIR instantly. It was his. It even had C-124 etched into the chestplate.

"Excuse me, what?" Jacques asked, seeing Thorne stroll over so casually.

"At the request of Admiral Bishop and the President, General Ironwood as stepped down from his position of command in the Atlesian Military." Thorne began. "As such, since the Atlesian Military effectively declared war against the UEG by opening fire on one of our cruisers, we have simply abided by the terms of the peace agreement set forth by Bishop. Atlas' military is now the UEG's for the time being, with Bishop taking direct command of all Atlesian Military assets for the foreseeable future."

"And this means?" Jacques asked.

"Have you given my offer some thought, Miss Schnee?" Thorne asked, turning to Winter.

"I did… and I'll take it." Winter said, nodding.

"What that means, Mister Schnee, is that _Lieutenant_ Winter Schnee is now a recruit of the UNSC's SPARTAN IV Program, placing her under UEG jurisdiction."

"You can't just conscript her." Jacques countered.

"I never conscripted her." Thorne countered. "Command over the Specialists was transferred to Naval Special Warfare Command. I merely offered Winter a transfer order into the SPARTAN Corps, an offer she took."

Jacques seemed frustrated for a moment, then sighed. "Fine… but what about Weiss?"

"She's free to leave once she's cleared her examination." Thorne said, catching and ignoring a look from Ivan.

"Very well… how long should I wait?"

"Should be no more than an hour." Thorne responded.

"Alright… I'll wait here." Jacques said, nodding.

"Excellent." Thorne said, nodding. "Lieutenant, Colonel, follow me please."

Winter and Ivan followed behind Thorne as he stepped into the central command structure of the base. Thorne turned to face Ivan, who was obviously rather irritated. "What was that, Thorne?"

" _That_ was me guaranteeing Winter staying here in Vale." Thorne said. "We have no jurisdiction over Weiss, so there's nothing we can do to stop Schnee from taking her back to Atlas. I'm sorry, Ivan… but our hands are tied here."

"Damnit…" Ivan muttered. Ivan took a deep breath. "Thorne, two questions… How are Blake and Yang?"

"Blake's already nearly fully healed from her wounds." Thorne responded. "Blade missed all vital organs, only soft tissue was damaged. Yang, on the other hand-" Thorne stopped himself. "Bad choice of words… Yang's right arm was completely severed at the bicep. Blake's pressure dressing was enough to keep her alive, but she won't be receiving a flash clone, since the Dust on that sword essentially seared the nerve endings. I would offer Cybernetics, if we didn't have about fifty thousand other people on the lists to receive limb replacements right now. Yang will have to wait."

"Alright…" Ivan said, sighing. "Some good news, at least."

"Indeed… and your other question?"

"What the hell are you doing in my armor?" Ivan asked, gesturing to his own suit of MJOLNIR, which Thorne happened to be wearing.

"I mean…" Thorne began, shrugging. "I'm not about to go out onto the battlefield in my suit, and our sizes were close enough. Not like you'd needed it anyways, with your fancy Combat Skin and all."

Ivan chuckled at that, shaking his head. "Where do you need me now, Sir?" Ivan asked.

"You and Lieutenant Schnee need to get some rest." Thorne said. "You've been going nonstop all day."

"Yes, sir." Ivan said, giving a casual salute with his right hand.

XXXXX

 **July 13, 2682; 1305 Hours**

 **Remnant, Patch**

Ruby groggily awoke, her head throbbing something fierce. She sat upright, surprised to find herself lying in her bed in her room, back at home on Patch. She groaned lightly as she rubbed her temples, earning a surprised gasp from the blonde man sitting on a chair across from her bed. "Ruby!" He said, running over to sit on her bed.

"Hey… dad." Ruby said, smiling weakly at her Father.

Taiyang sighed, smiling. "Thank God you're alright…" He began, placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "How do you feel?"

"Sore… all over." Ruby explained, wincing as she tried to move her legs.

"Not surprising…" Taiyang said. "After the UNSC and Qrow dropped you off here, based off what I heard from them, you and your team went through hell."

"Wait… Beacon! Vale! What happened?!" Ruby exclaimed, remembering _why_ she was sore. "How long was I out?!"

"You were out for around a week." Taiyang explained, trying to formulate a good response in his head. "Vale's… doing alright. The UNSC pulled in some reinforcements and they're getting the city secured. Beacon… isn't so simple."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked

"The school was completely evacuated and everyone was pulled out."

"Wait… what about Blake, and Yang, and… Pyrrha?" Ruby asked, her breath hitching as she mention Pyrrha, remembering the position she had seen the redhead in last time she saw her.

"Pyrrha's fine, kiddo." Qrow said, stepping into the room and taking a swig from his flask. "Shaken up, and an arrow in her heel, but she's fine otherwise. Blake's recovered completely. Yang… She's alright."

"Qrow's right…" Taiyang said. "She's too strong to let this stop her."

"Hey Tai… do you mind if I talk with her for a minute?" Qrow asked.

"What, I can't stay?"

"Tai… please." Qrow pleaded.

"Fine…" Tai said, taking a moment. He stood up, heading for the door. "I'll go make some tea, Rubes."

Ruby nodded, giving her father a smile as he walked out of the room, closing the door as he walked out. Qrow smiled as he pulled up a chair, sitting next to Ruby. "Hey Kiddo… helluva thing you did back there."

XXXXX

 **July 13, 2682; 1341 Hours**

 **Remnant, Patch**

Ruby stepped through the room that Yang called her own. It was as characteristically messy as she remembered. There were Achieve Men posters lining the wall, stuffed critters along the shelves, a desk, and magazines scattered all around. Sitting in the bed was a very dejected looking blonde, with both gauntlets of Ember Celica sitting on her nightstand. All traces of the Blonde's normal cheerfulness were gone, replaced by sadness. "Yang…?"

After a few moments, Ruby almost turned around, assuming that Yang was lost in a daydream. But the saddened response drew her back towards her sister. "Ruby…" Yang said, turning to look at the red-headed huntress. A few lingering tears were welled up in her eyes as she looked at her younger sibling.

Ruby darted over, wrapping Yang in a tight hug, her own voice cracking. "I'm… I'm so glad you're okay."

Yang reciprocated with her one arm, hugging Ruby. "I'm… I don't know if I am okay…" Ruby pulled back slightly, giving Yang a concerned expression. "It's gone… Beacon, Vale, everything…" Yang's gaze shifted back towards her amputation.

"Where are Weiss and Blake?" Ruby asked.

"Weiss' father showed up at the Firebase… He came for her." Yang explained.

"What?" Ruby asked, surprised.

"Everyone's scared right now… nobody's sure who to trust." Yang said. "So Weiss' father took her back to Atlas, where he thinks it's safe."

"What about Blake?" Ruby asked.

"Hmm?" Came the quiet hum from behind her. Ruby turned around, surprised to see her Faunus friend standing behind her, a small plate of tea in her hands.

"Blake?" Ruby asked. "What're you doing here?"

"Dad's letting Blake stay with us." Yang said, smiling weakly towards the Faunus, who still had her bow removed.

"How could I ever leave…" Blake said, stepping over and placing the tray of tea on the nightstand, sitting on the edge of Yang's bed. "I couldn't just leave my personal space heater." Blake said, smiling slightly.

Yang smiled, being pulled into a light hug by Blake. She buried her face in the Faunus' shoulder. "Thanks, Blakey."

"What about Ivan?" Ruby asked.

"He's still here, on Patch." Blake responded. "He's helping the UNSC set up bases here on the island. Apparently, Patch is the perfect staging ground for the UNSC's mission in Vale. He stops by almost every day, mostly to check up on you, actually."

"Really?" Ruby asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"You have been out for a week." Blake responded.

Ruby nodded, seeing that Yang still had her face buried in Blake's shoulder, and her arm wrapped around her waist. Ruby took that as he cue to leave. "Yang…" She said, turning around once she reached the door. "I love you."

After a few moments, Yang responded quietly. "I love you too, Rubes."

At that, Ruby stepped out into the hallway, heading back towards her room. As she walked, she could hear Yang faintly sobbing from her own room, wrenching at her heart. Ruby simply flopped down onto her mattress, her mind wandering around the room. Any semblance of direction that she had from earlier that year was gone, replaced by… confusion. Weiss was gone, Yang was missing her arm, and Beacon was gone. After wracking her mind for a time, she eventually drifted off into a dreamless, fitful sleep.

 **XXXXX End of Act I XXXXX**


	23. Chapter 23: A New Era

**_Act II: Rediscovery_**

 **Chapter 23: A New Era**

 **January 21, 2683; 2138 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vale (Wilderness)**

Ivan stared down the scope of his Battle Rifle, scanning over the perimeter of the small compound, watching as armed figures strolled around the rooftops and fenced-in perimeter. The compound was completely surrounded by dense forest, and had a pair of buildings. The VISR of his MJOLNIR GEN-2 helmet highlighted hostiles as he passed over them with his reticule. Sixteen hostiles on the perimeter alone, all of them carrying rifles and wearing some measure of body armor. "Winter… are you in position?" Ivan asked, his suit's comms equipment crackling to life.

"Ready." Winter responded, flashing her armor's IFF.

"Moving up." Ivan said, standing upright and activating his armor's active camouflage module.

"We have eyes on your positions, SPARTANs." Came the voice of the ODST sniper watching over them from a great distance away. "Ready to initiate the operation on your mark."

Ivan slowly crept up the short distance between his initial position and the compound's fence, coming to a full stop a few feet away. He watched as his VISR recognized the green outline of Winter's MJOLNIR armor, which was visible across the compound's short fifty meter perimeter. Winter flashed her "Ready" ping, which Ivan mirrored. Ivan quietly whispered into his communicator, putting him on a wide channel connected to Winter and the five-man ODST team. "Operation is a-go on my mark. Three… two… one… mark!"

At Ivan's word, four suppressed sniper rifle rounds sounded off from various points in the tree line, each one finding its mark on a White Fang's center-mass. Simultaneously, Ivan fired off a few bursts from his rifle towards the patrolling White Fang, the high-caliber rounds cutting through their fiber body armor. Ivan heard the distinct sound of an SMG rattling off a few caseless rounds.

Seeing that the visible hostiles before him had been eliminated, either by his Battle Rifle or ODST sniper fire, Ivan decided to move. He ignited his armor's mobility thrusters, using the added momentum to propel himself through the fence, plowing through the thin metal rather easily. Ivan heard a similar noise from the other end of the compound, accompanied by the signature sound of a Dust explosion.

As a pair of rifles poked from a nearby window to open fire on the black-clad SPARTAN, Ivan's shields flared to life and began absorbing the kinetic weapons rather easily. Ivan fired a few bursts in the window's direction, suppressing the two White Fang within. He moved up, reattaching the Battle Rifle to its magnetic clamp on his back, and drew his magnum. He moved up towards the window, his VISR's low-light capabilities allowing him to easily dispatch the two White Fang with a pair of well-placed shots.

As the sniper fire from outside died down, Ivan vaulted through the window, shattering the small remaining pieces of glass. The room within was rather bare, with a few cots lining the wall and a few footlockers at the base of the beds. A few startled White Fang, many of them being jolted out of their sleeping state by the sound of gunfire, were on the floor, their hands up in surrender. "Barracks clear, four surrendered." Ivan said into his communicator.

"Command and Control clear, hostiles eliminated." Winter responded, her voice coming through as detached and all-business.

"Perimeter clear." The ODST NCO responded, the sound of a sniper round impacting being audible just before he spoke. "All hostiles eliminated."

"Excellent work, team." Ivan said, motioning to the four surrendered White Fang with his magnum. At his request, they all removed their masks and put their hands on the backs of their heads. Ivan felt a slight feeling of guilt, seeing that these White Fang were very green, none of them having much experience. One was a rabbit Faunus, one was an Elephant Faunus, one was a Wolf Faunus, and the fourth was a Horse Faunus. "Get down here, secure these prisoners, and radio in for extraction. SPARTAN Winter and I will clean up here."

"Copy that, Colonel." The NCO said, cutting the communication.

Ivan slid his magnum back onto its magnetic clamp on his hip, turning to face the four Faunus. "As of right now, you are all prisoners of war under the jurisdiction of the United Earth Government. You will be given all rights, privileges and accommodations that come along with carrying such a title. You will not be harmed, you will be relocated to a UNSC POW camp here on Remnant."

As Ivan spoke, five ODSTs moved in through the window, spotting the four surrendered Faunus. They moved to begin apprehending them while the NCO remained back by the window, speaking into his communications earpiece. "We've got this from here, Colonel." An ODST corporal responded, standing up from his place behind the Rabbit Faunus.

Ivan nodded, turning to step out of the Barracks and make the short walk across the way towards the Command and Control building. There were a few groups of ODSTs moving around the compound, checking the area for any hiding hostiles.

As Ivan stepped through the blown-open door to the Command Bunker, he was greeted by the sight of six White Fang lying on the ground, most of them with blade wounds running through their sides. Standing over a computer console was a suit of MJOLNIR armor, colored a stark white, with a sheathed sabre along the back-plate. "Anything good?" Ivan asked, stepping over a few trashed papers and pieces of electronics hardware.

"Maps of declassified UNSC military bases, photographs of the outsides of bases, and a whole lot of junk." Winter responded, not taking her eyes off the screen. "This one's just as useless as the last."

"Damnit…" Ivan muttered, looking around the room. On the central desk was a map of Remnant, with various points highlighted. He recognized these points as being either the main cities of the four kingdoms, or publicly-availably UEG installations. "Nothing we didn't already know."

"Exactly." Winter responded, standing upright. "Either way, I copied the terminal's data onto a mobile drive. We can hand it over to ONI for more in-depth analysis."

"Good idea." Ivan responded, making sure to capture every square inch of the room with his retinal implant's internal recording device.

"Any word on the prisoners?" Winter asked.

"They're all green as hell." Ivan responded. "None of them look any older than Yang, so I doubt they know much. ONI can handle that, though."

Winter sighed. "This is way harder than it should be…" Winter commented. "Seems like they're just toying with us at this point. Not a single one of these 'secret' bases has anything even resembling useful information."

As Ivan and Winter continued discussing the situation, a pair of DT-77C Stealth Pelican Dropships arrived just outside the compound, sending a signal to all nearby UNSC assets that their extraction had arrived. "We're heading out." Ivan said, nodding towards the faint VISR outline of the Pelican.

Ivan and Winter climbed into the back of the nearest Pelican, along with fourteen ODSTs and the four captured Faunus. Winter and Ivan removed their helmets, along with a few of the ODSTs. A few of the captured Faunus looked surprised to see three of their own kind wearing the ODST BDU.

Winter looked to Ivan, giving an almost invisible smile. Ivan was truly surprised by how well the augmentation procedure went with Winter. The only visible difference on her was the fact that her eyes seemed to glow a slightly brighter shade of blue. Ivan returned the smile, settling in for the rather long flight back to the UNSC's main base on Patch, Avery Airfield.

XXXXX

 **January 22, 2682; 1135 Hours**

 **Remnant, Patch**

Ruby sifted through her drawers, eventually coming across her normal attire buried beneath the t-shirts and jeans that she had been wearing for the past few days. She threw her normal combat skirt on, along with her boots and stockings. Just as she was about to grab Crescent Rose from its resting place next to her bed, the doorbell rang out, causing Zwei to start barking madly.

Ruby darted to the door, knowing full-well that Yang wasn't going to answer it, and that Blake had no intention of leaving the Blonde's side anytime soon. Unsurprisingly, her father was already at the door, giving her a sly smile. When he opened it, Ruby was surprised to find Ivan and Winter standing on the other side. "Ivan, Winter!" Taiyang said, smiling. "It's great to see you two again."

"Good to see you too, Mister Xiao Long." Ivan responded, giving a nod. Ruby couldn't quite place it, but Winter seemed slightly taller than when she last saw the ivory-haired Specialist.

"Please, come in." Taiyang said, gesturing inside.

As Ivan stepped inside, he smiled as he saw Ruby. "Hey Ruby!" Ivan said, finding himself wrapped in a hug from the shorter redhead. Ruby was definitely taller than when Ivan last saw her almost six months ago. Instead of standing at forearm-height when compared to the SPARTAN, she was almost up to his shoulder. "Hit a growth spurt while I was gone?" He asked, tousling the young leader's hair.

Ruby shrugged. "I think you just got shorter." Ruby responded, smiling.

"Certainly seems like it." Winter remarked, playfully nudging Ivan.

"Where were you guys?" Taiyang asked. "Haven't heard from either of you in months."

"Reach." Ivan responded. "Winter here had to get her Augs and Armor."

"You were on Reach for six months?" Ruby asked, only having a very basic knowledge on the UNSC's second-largest colony world.

"If Winter wasn't a Specialist, she would've been there for two years." Ivan responded. "She got to skip most of the boring physical tests and go straight into the Augmentation procedure, augmentation testing, and armor training."

Winter shrugged. "It wasn't as hard as he made it seem."

"And that's the cockiness that earned you ten laps around the _entire_ FLEETCOM Facility." Ivan said, chuckling.

Winter nudged Ivan with her elbow. "He's just jealous."

Ivan rolled his eyes, earning a giggle from Ruby. "So…" Ivan began. "Where's Yang?"

"She's in her room." Taiyang said, gesturing towards the hallway. "Why?"

"I needed to talk to her about something." Ivan explained. Before Taiyang could question him, he smiled. "It's a surprise." Ruby gave an inquisitive eyebrow-raise, prompting Ivan to immediately remember something. "And speaking of surprises." He began, giving Ruby a smile. "I've got one for you too, Rubes." Ruby gave a wide smile. "I'll show you after I get Yang."

Taiyang smiled. "Well, feel free to go see her. Like I said when we first met, you're practically family as far as I'm concerned."

"Thank you, Mister Xiao Long." Ivan said, giving the older blonde man a smile.

With Taiyang's blessing, Ivan, Winter, and Ruby made their way through the hallway. Ivan smiled as he saw the photos lining the wall of younger versions of Ruby and Yang. Ruby hadn't changed a bit, other than height. Yang was rather obvious, her blonde mane never shorter than elbow-length.

As Ivan approached the slightly-ajar door to Yang's room, he knocked his knuckles against the wood. "Come in." Yang said from the other side, a slight bit of her voice's normal happiness evident.

Ivan, Winter, and Ruby stepped through the door, spotting the blonde brawler laying on her bed with Blake glued to her side. Yang wore a brown t-shirt and had her hair in a familiarly unruly state. Blake had her ears visible, and wore her normal attire. Ember Celica was still sitting where Ivan remembered seeing the gauntlets last, on Yang's nightstand. Yang seemed legitimately surprised to see Ivan and Winter, while Blake had her trademarked look of passive indifference. "Hey, blondie." Ivan said, smiling as he walked towards the bed that she and Blake shared

"Ivan!" Yang said, sitting upright. "Where've you been?"

"Reach." Ivan responded, kneeling down next to the bed. "I oversaw Winter's SPARTAN Training."

"You're back!" Yang said, wrapping an arm around the SPARTAN, happily.

Ivan returned the gesture, letting go so Yang could pull Winter into a similar gesture. "And it's good to see you too, Winter."

"Likewise, Yang." Winter responded, returning the hug.

"Good to see you too, Blake." Ivan said, smiling.

"I'm glad you're back." Blake responded, nodding. "It's been boring without you around."

"Ivan! Didn't you have something you wanted to tell Yang?" Ruby asked, reminding the SPARTAN.

"Oh yeah…" Ivan said, giving Yang a smile. "Get dressed, I've got a surprise for you."

"What is it?" Yang asked, giving the SPARTAN an inquisitive look.

"Oh c'mon… I can't tell you!" Ivan said. "Then it's not a surprise."

Yang gave a small chuckle, pulling herself onto her feet. She was wearing a pair of sweatpants, which were hidden under the sheets of her bed. "Alright… give me a few minutes." Yang said.

"Sure thing." Ivan said, standing upright again and straightening out his dress uniform. Ivan, Winter, and Ruby stepped out of Yang's room to give her the privacy to change. Ruby followed with the two SPARTANs back into the living room, where Taiyang was making a cup of coffee. "Hey, Mister Xiao Long, mind if I borrow Yang for a few hours?"

"Where're you guys going?" Taiyang asked, setting the mug down on the counter.

"We're going into town for a bit." Ivan responded. "Other than that, I'm not at liberty to say." Ivan gave a knowing smile, and a quiet flex of his cybernetic hand. Ruby didn't notice the mechanical limb moving, but Taiyang did, and he broke out into a broad smile.

"Well…" Taiyang said, chuckling. "Just make sure she's not out too long."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Ivan responded, hearing Yang's door opening then shutting from down the hall.

Yang and Blake stepped into the living room, with Yang having changed into her normal yellow top, brown jacket, black shorts, and boots. The only difference was her right sleeve being unoccupied from below the bicep. "Ready." Yang said.

"Awesome." Ivan said. "I've got a car outside, I'll meet y'all out there."

With a fair bit of excitement, Ruby bounded outside. She was followed by Yang and Blake, who had their fingers intertwined. Once the three younger huntresses left for the front yard, Taiyang let out a sigh and made his way over to Ivan, clapping him on the back. "Ivan… I… I really don't know what to say."

"Don't worry about it." Ivan said. "It's the least I can do."

"You've already done too much for us." Taiyang said, giving the SPARTAN a sincere look. "You made sure my daughters made it back to me safe… you made sure Qrow didn't get his stupid-ass killed, and you made sure that my daughters were safe when those aliens showed up." Taiyang chuckled, giving Ivan's shoulder a surprisingly powerful squeeze. "I hope you don't intend to get away with this without some kind of repayment."

"Tai… That's not necessary." Ivan said, smiling.

"Trust me, son. It is." Taiyang said. "You've done way too much for us. Hell… I don't think I've ever seen Yang happier than when she's talking about the trouble you five got into."

"Which is plenty…" Ivan added, smiling. "Either way… repayment is absolutely unnecessary."

Tai chuckled. "You're almost as stubborn as she is…"

"I wouldn't go that far." Ivan responded, earning a hearty laugh from Tai.

After a few moments of laughter, Tai gave Ivan another sincere smile. "Thanks, Ivan… I know Yang will be happy."

Ivan smiled in return, nodding. "I'll have her back by midnight. Promise."

As Ivan turned to join Winter at the door, Tai chuckled. "Try to get Blake to follow that rule for me?" Tai asked, earning a laugh from Ivan.

"No promises… but I'll do my best." Ivan responded.

Tai gave a small wave as Ivan and Winter stepped outside, closing the door behind them.

XXXXX

 **January 22, 2683; 1149 Hours**

 **Remnant, Patch**

Ivan stepped outside with Winter, unsurprised to find Ruby, Blake, and Yang already crowded around the civilian-grade M12 Warthog. The Warthog's gun had been replaced with seats and a canopy, and was painted a more neutral grey as opposed to the UNSC's standard OD-green. Ruby, Blake, and Yang had never seen one of the light vehicles up-close before, let alone outside of a battle.

As Ivan approached, he saw Ruby climbing into the row of back seats with Yang and Blake. Ivan chuckled as he walked up. "Alright, before we head out… I've got something for you two." Ivan gestured to Ruby and Blake. Blake gave a conservative smile in response, but Ruby decided to forgo that and look simply ecstatic.

Ivan reached behind the passenger's seat near the front of the vehicle, producing a rather sizable ammo canister and a small disc-like object. He handed the ammo can to Ruby, and the disc to Blake. "Nothing for me?" Yang asked, giving a small grin.

"Yours is in a few minutes." Ivan said, giving the blonde a small smile.

Ruby was the first to more-closely inspect her gift. She opened the latches on the side of the canister, popping the aluminum lid open and looking inside. She was surprised to find a few rather large packets of ammunition, all of them unmarked. She pulled one of the ammunition packages out, tearing off the brown paper wrapping. She found a bundle of twenty large bullets, each one having a different style of tipped ammunition. "Check out the back of the rounds, by the primer." Ivan explained, prompting Ruby to pull one of the stranger rounds, having what appeared to be a cross-design on the round's tip, and inspect the rear of it more closely. She was surprised to see the dimensions: 14.5x114mm.

"Wait… this is what Crescent Rose shoots." Ruby said, checking the dimensions again. "Where'd you get these?! I've never seen rounds like this before!"

Ivan smiled, seeing Ruby happily inspecting the +P round she pulled from the package. "I ran into a Misriah Armories technician on Reach. I had him special-make some rounds for me. Kinda ties into yours too." Ivan gestured to Blake and Yang.

"What is this?" Blake asked, rolling the small disc around in her hand.

"It works better when you have armor on, but press the little indentation in the middle." Ivan explained.

Blake pressed the small black metal piece in the middle of the silver disc. She nearly let out a startled yelp as she watched her arm shimmer out of sight, eventually becoming nothing more than a faint outline with some distortion. As she looked, she found that the rest of her was also semi-visible. She quickly pressed the button again, not realizing that a small smile had crossed her face. "You got me an active camouflage thing?"

"Yeah." Ivan said, smiling. "I didn't really know what you'd like, and I figured that I'd get you something you could use with your Semblance."

"Thank you Ivan… that's very thoughtful." Blake said, smiling as she tucked the small device into a slot on her belt.

"And now for yours." Ivan said, giving Yang a grin. He jumped into the driver's seat of the Warthog, with Winter jumping into the front passenger's seat. Ivan pressed the activation button on the dashboard, causing the hydrogen-cell engine to roar to life. He shifted the Warthog into drive and pulled out, getting on the main road into Patch.

Along the way, Ruby kept trying to guess where they were going, progressively getting further and further off from the actual destination as she went. Winter simply listened with an amused smile while Blake and Yang sat quietly, Yang resting her head on Blake's shoulder.

The small town of Patch was surprisingly humming with activity, even for a Saturday morning. Shops were tending to patrons, restaurants were serving their guests, and people were walking along the sidewalks, going about the business of their day. Nobody seemed exceptionally surprised to see a Warthog driving down the street, due in no small part to the fact that the largest UNSC airbase on the planet was a mere 10 miles away. That was also indicated by the sheer number of UNSC military personnel walking around Patch, mostly congregating around restaurants and bars.

The strange feeling of tension building up in Yang was only getting stronger as the Warthog drove through Patch, continuing on the road out of town, towards Avery Airbase. After a few more minutes of driving, the airbase came into view.

It was a massive, fenced-in compound with five landing strips and dozens of ground-based hangers. There were dozens of Broadsword fighters resting off to the sides, along with a few barracks buildings and an ATC tower. Pelican Landing Pads dotted the perimeter of the base, with a constant hum of activity around it. Aircraft were constantly taking off and landing, offloading supplies, or simply relocating. There was even a motor pool containing a few Rhino Plasma Artillery Tanks, Scorpion-II MBTs, and Military-grade Warthogs with varying weapons systems mounted on the back.

"What're we doing on base?" Yang asked, looking at the massive installation before her. She had watched its construction on the news, but had never seen it up close. It had to have at least ten thousand people inside, making sure everything was working properly.

"Surprise." Ivan said, smiling. As Ivan pulled up to the entrance checkpoint, there were a pair of UNSC Military Police standing guard at the gate. The senior officer walked over, checked Ivan's ID, and waved him through.

"Welcome back Colonel, Lieutenant." The officer said, giving a quick salute to Ivan and Winter.

Ivan returned the gesture and continued through, into the base. Yang got to look around, surprised to find that this airbase more-closely resembled a small town than a military base. It had on-base restaurants, fitness facilities, community center, officer's housing, a religious building of some kind, and a few small shops. There was even a rather large clinic on-base, which was open to civilians. Much to Yang's surprise, they pulled in front of the Clinic. "Alright, we're here." Ivan said, turning the engine off and jumping out. Everyone else followed suit.

"What're we doing here?" Yang asked, still completely oblivious.

Ivan smiled as he stepped through the automatic door. "Remember how I talked with the Misriah Rep?" Yang nodded in response, stepping through. "Well… Misriah's been getting into cybertechnology in the last few years. And they wanted to comp you a cyberarm."

Yang, and everyone else in their group with the exception of Ivan and Winter, looked absolutely floored. "They… want to just _give_ me a new arm?"

"You'd be correct." A rather well-groomed man in a three-piece suit said, walking over. "David Welshberg. I'm a cybernetics engineer for Misriah."

"I… I don't know what to say." Yang said, looking to Ivan, then at the engineer.

"Well… it's also a bit of a test-run." David explained, earning a cocked eyebrow raise from the Huntress. "We took a page from Atlas' book and developed our newest generation of robotic limb replacements around the idea of channeling Aura. Since you're a Huntress, this working in conjunction with the fact that you'll be designing the arm should make the transition seamless."

"Wait… I'm designing it?" Yang asked, confused.

"You'll be designing the basic appearance, internal components, and will be helping the engineers get it right." David explained, smiling slightly. "It'll be like you never lost the arm."

Ruby squealed quietly, wrapping her older sister in a hug. Yang smiled, returning the gesture. Simply from the news, coupled with the emotions that came along, tears threatened to make their way out from Yang. Blake wrapped her blonde girlfriend in a comforting hug, earning a smile from Ivan and Winter.

"Shall we get started?" David asked, earning an excited nod from Yang.

XXXXX

 **January 22, 2682; 1345 Hours**

 **Remnant, Atlas (Schnee Estate)**

Weiss sighed as she glared out of her window of the Schnee Estate, looking over the massive courtyard with a strange sense of disdain. She had grown up here, but it didn't feel like home anymore. For six months she had been confined to Atlas, hearing nothing from her old team or her sister. Her father wasn't quite forthcoming with information either, only telling Weiss that Winter was "alright".

Weiss sighed as she turned back to the small mirror on her desk, applying the finishing touches to her makeup. From the reflection on the smooth glass, she could see Myrtenaster, resting in a corner next to her bed. Her blade had been collecting dust for the past half-year, remaining unused. Seeing the empty Dust chambers resting in the hilt brought a feeling of wrenching sadness.

Every time she looked to her rapier, she found her thoughts wandering back to that night in Vale. She didn't even have the chance to say goodbye to Blake, Yang or… Ruby. Thinking of her leader brought a strange feeling of emptiness to Weiss' stomach. The last she heard of her cheerful, energetic leader was her being taken to a UNSC field hospital after being evacuated from Beacon, where she climbed the tower that the Wyvern was circling. The sheer thought that she had left one of her only true friends, the friend that she had the courage to confide her weaknesses and secrets in, hurt more than anything else.

As if he could sense her not wanting to be disturbed, a short series of raps sounded off against her door. She heard Klein's voice call out from the other side. "Miss Schnee… I believe your father wishes to speak with you in his study."

Weiss balled her hands into fists, forcing that horrid feeling down. She put on the familiar mask she was so used to wearing whenever she was home. "I'll be there in a moment, Klein." Weiss responded, forcing a happy tone. Satisfied that she had satiated her father for at least a few more minutes, Weiss pulled her ivory hair into its familiar lopsided ponytail, letting it hang down to her waist.

Weiss looked into her mirror, ensuring that her dress was immaculately pressed and clean, and left her room. She walked through the sterile, white halls of the Schnee Estate, eventually coming to the foyer's staircase. The monoliths of armor continued their steadfast vigil over the foyer. She continued through the halls until she came to the large oak door that led to her father's study. Just before her hand reached out to open it, a voice made itself heard from the other side. It was her father's. Whitley had warned her about this… much to her surprise. She took a moment to listen.

"I'm not talking about the good of my company, I'm talking about the good of Atlas! Our entire Kingdom!" Jacques shouted.

"That is a load of bullshit and you know it, Jacques." Another voice retorted. She recognized it as Ironwood's voice.

"I beg your pardon?!" Jacques shouted.

As Weiss slowly and carefully opened the door, she was happy to find that neither of the two men had noticed her entry. She continued to listen for a moment. Much to her surprise, Ironwood wasn't in an Atlesian General's uniform… he was wearing a UNSC Officer's uniform with four silver stars pinned into the collar. There was a small 'Atlas' patch on his shoulder, signaling that he was the commanding officer of Atlas' UNSC Detachment.

"Jacques… will you please just hear me out?" Ironwood sighed.

"You are a trusted friend and ally to this family, James. But what you're suggesting is absurd!"

"You're blowing it out of proportion." Ironwood gestured with his hands.

"The Council will never agree to it!" Jacques shouted, standing up after slamming his glass of scotch down onto the table.

"It's not the _council_ you need to be concerned with, Jacques." Ironwood casually responded, standing upright and making his towering nature over the Schnee patriarch known. "The UEG Senate's already voiced their concerns over what's been going on. Even if my second seat on the Council doesn't see this embargo through, the Senate will."

"This will cost me _millions_ , James!"

"So this _is_ about you!" Ironwood returned.

Weiss silently cursed as the door clicked shut behind her, signaling her presence to both men. "Miss Schnee…" Ironwood began, nodding his head in her direction. "Sorry, I should've been gone by now."

"I-It's okay." Weiss answered, correcting her stance and locking her arms behind her back.

"We'll continue this at another time, Jacques." Ironwood said, turning to her Father.

"Indeed." Jacques responded, a low growl just barely peeking out from behind his 'indifferent' tone. "Klein can show you out."

Ironwood chuckled. "I know the way." As he approached the door, Weiss stepped aside and allowed him to pass. Before he did, he turned to her. "Please know, Miss Schnee, that you'll always have a place in Atlas Academy. It'll be back in session before you know it." With that, he left, closing the door behind him.

"Did you forget your manners while you were in Vale?" Jacques asked, causing Weiss to immediately stand at attention.

"No, father… I'm sorry."

Jacques sighed. "Can you believe that there are still people out there who blame Atlas for what happened in Vale?" He asked, probably rhetorically.

"They weren't there…" Weiss was hopeful that her response wouldn't provoke her father's ire.

"It's a wonder Ironwood wasn't stripped of his rank!" Jacques snarled. "Even better, the UNSC decides to bring him into their ranks and _promote_ him!" He sat down in his cushioned chair, sighing. "I suppose the Council still trusts him… for better or worse."

"I trust him…" Weiss shrugged.

Jacques huffed. "Thanks to him, Atlas is forbidden from exporting Dust to other kingdoms or any UEG world. 'A precautionary measure' as he puts it, until we're certain no one is going to declare war! How anyone could possibly find that to be sound logic is beyond me, especially with the ever-watchful UNSC hovering overhead." With an exaggeratedly exasperated tone, he continued. "Which is why the Schnee Dust Company will be holding a charity concert in the coming weeks. We need to show the people of Remnant and beyond that we are on their side, and that we are _all_ victims of the fall of Beacon."

"That's… wonderful news." Weiss smiled. Truth be told, she didn't expect something like this from her father.

"I know." Jacques said, proudly. Weiss certainly expected _that_. "Which is why I think it would make a lot of people happy if you performed at the event."

"Excuse me?" Weiss asked.

"Many forget that you were there." Jacques added. "My own daughter on the grounds defending another kingdom. We need to remind them, and we need to show them that the Schnee family is just as strong as ever."

"Are you asking me if I'd like to sing, or telling me?" Weiss asked.

"I think it would make a lot of people happy." Jacques leaned his arms against his desk, looking to his daughter.

"I'll start practicing." Weiss relented.

"That's… my girl." Jacques smiled.

With a quick curtsy, Weiss turned to head for the door. As she opened it and stepped back into the hallway, she was surprised to find another familiar figure walking towards the study. "Thorne…?" Weiss asked, confused.

The ONI Agent gave her a small, almost apologetic smile as he approached. "A pleasure to see you again, Weiss." He said, lightly adjusting his coat. For the faintest moment, Weiss could see the black polymer grip of a Magnum beneath his clothing.

"What are you doing here?" Weiss asked, surprised to see him in her own home. Admittedly, this wasn't the first time. He had come with a few ONI Agents just a week after her return, mostly to oversee an investigation into the Atlesian Knight production, but he made it a point to check up on her.

"Following up on something." Thorne explained. "Classified, I'm afraid."

"I assumed as much." Weiss sighed. "How's everyone else doing?"

"Couldn't tell you, honestly." Thorne shrugged. "I just got back on-planet yesterday. Been on Earth for the past few months getting things straightened out."

"Oh…" Weiss sighed. All she wanted was the _slightest_ bit of news about her friends in Vale. "I'll let you get back to it, then."

"Alright…' Thorne nodded, seeing the saddened look on the heiress' face. "When I do see the others, I'll let them know you're doing alright."

"Thank you, Thorne…" Weiss gave a half-hearted smile in return.


	24. Chapter 24: The Mission

**Chapter 24: The Mission**

 **January 22, 2683; 1400 Hours**

 **Remnant, Patch (UNSC Airbase: Camp Avery)**

Ivan sat in a small waiting room in the Camp Avery Clinic, Blake, Ruby, and Winter all sitting on chairs around the room as well. Winter sat directly next to Ivan, while Blake and Ruby were quietly discussing something. Winter smiled contently as she rested her head against Ivan's shoulder. "That's a wonderful thing you did, Ivan." She said.

"She'd do the same for me." Ivan dismissed.

"Maybe…" Winter said. "But you went to some pretty incredible lengths and pulled some serious strings to make this happen like it did. I don't think most people would do even half of what you did." Winter leaned up, planting a quick, chaste kiss on Ivan's cheek.

Ivan smiled, wrapping an arm around Winter's shoulder. "Thanks, snow angel." He said, smiling at the almost inaudible groan from Ruby and the not-so-discrete eye roll from Winter.

"At least it wasn't a pun…" Blake commented, grinning.

"Did someone say puns?" Yang asked, stepping into the room, sporting her fancy new cyberarm prosthesis and a cheeky grin. At a cursory glance, it looked no different than an organic arm. Upon closer examination, there were visible cracks in the covering of the arm in areas around the joints, appearing as nothing more than thin, grey lines against the polymer composite covering that perfectly matched Yang's skin tone.

Ruby bolted upright, rose petals fluttering to the floor as she took off running to wrap her sister in a tight hug. Yang laughed as she mirrored the gesture, her arm whirring softly as she wrapped her sister in a hug. After a moment, Ruby pulled back to examine the arm. "It's so cool!" Ruby said, bounding excitedly.

"It is pretty awesome." Ivan said, nodding as he stepped towards the blonde.

"Don't think you're avoiding this, Chesnokov!" Yang said, wrapping Ivan in a hug. Ivan grunted softly as Yang's already impressive upper body strength was amplified by the artificial limb's synthetic muscle fibers. After a moment of crushing the air out of Ivan's lungs, Yang turned and gave Blake a small smile.

"Nope…" Blake said, shaking her head.

"Blakey…" Yang said, holding her arms open with a broad smile.

"Yang…" Blake said, giving Yang a small glare.

Yang, ignoring her girlfriend's protests, simply wrapped the Faunus in a tight hug, clutching her like her life depended on it. Blake simply relented, returning the gesture. Yang lifted the Faunus' chin with her cybernetic hand, placing her lips against Blake's for a passionate kiss. Blake melted into the gesture, allowing Yang's tongue to explore where it pleased for a few moments. Understanding where they were, Yang pulled back after a moment, leaving Blake wanting more.

Blake's cheeks blushed a bright crimson, which was only intensified by the small wink that Yang gave her. "What's the problem, Blakey?" Yang asked, her lips slowly spreading into a small smirk. "Cat's got your tongue?"

Blake glared at Yang, jokingly. "We're talking about this tonight…" Blake only blushed further as Yang gave a suggestive purr, waggling her eyebrows.

"Okaaaaaay!" Ruby said, obviously feeling rather uncomfortable. "Can we not?"

Ivan silently thanked Ruby with a knowing look, surprised to see David walk back into the room. "Sorry about taking so long…" He said, tucking a small datapad back into his coat. He looked up, seeing a blushing Blake, broadly grinning Yang, and uncomfortable pair of SPARTANs and young huntress. "Did I miss something?"

"Nope." Ivan and Ruby both said at the same time, earning a cocked eyebrow from David.

"Alright…" The engineer said, completely oblivious to the situation he just walked in on. "I just wanted to let you all know that the procedure was a complete success. Miss Xiao Long's cyberarm works far better than I could've imagined."

"It sure does." Yang said, moving her arm around, flexing the synthetic muscle.

"And we threw in a few extra additions that would suit a Huntress in the field rather well." David added, smiling. "Carbon-Nanotube muscle fibers to increase strength, direct nerve connections, and a discrete removable composite covering. Shouldn't be any side effects, other than the slim possibility of a feeling of discomfort as your body adapts to having more weight on that side again. Even that should subside after a day or two. So all-in-all… you're good to go."

"Wait…" Ivan said. "What did Yang add to it?"

"Surprisingly, she didn't have any specific modifications that she wanted, other than the enhanced synthetic muscle fiber."

"What can I say? I'm a simple girl." Yang said, shrugging.

"No kidding…" Blake muttered, earning a giggle and a side-hug from Yang.

David smiled, producing a small card with contact information from his coat. "If you ever need anything else, or encounter any problems with the arm, don't hesitate to give me a call." David shook Yang's hand. "Have a good day, everyone." With that, he turned and headed back towards the clinic itself, presumably to finish paperwork.

"Should we head back home?" Ruby asked.

"Probably a good idea." Blake agreed.

Ivan nodded, a small smile spreading across his face as he watched Yang flex the cybernetic arm's joints.

XXXXX

 **January 22, 2683; 1531 Hours**

 **Remnant, Patch**

Ruby unlocked the door to her and Yang's house, stepping inside. Blake, Ivan, and Winter were still with the two sisters, and followed behind the younger huntress. As they stepped inside, they were surprised to find Taiyang conversing with Qrow, who was sitting at the island in the kitchen with a small glass of liquor. More surprising yet, Team JNPR was a part of the discussion as well. Ivan gave Ruby an inquisitive look as she seemed to pale, suddenly seeming to remember something.

Pyrrha gave Ivan and Winter a polite wave and a small smile, which they both returned

"Ruby…" Taiyang said, a stern look on his face as he turned to look at his youngest daughter.

"Dad…" Ruby said, looking at her feet like they were the most interesting thing on Remnant.

"Nice arm, blondie." Qrow commented, drawing a glare from Taiyang. Yang gave a cheeky grin and a thumbs-up with her new hand.

"Do you have something you want to tell me, Ruby?" Taiyang asked, drawing a look of concern from Ivan, Winter, Blake, and Yang.

"I mean…" Ruby began, looking up to see the glare that her father was giving her. "Okay… We were going to Haven."

Ivan cocked an eyebrow, but Yang nearly shouted in surprise. "What?! Why?"

"We wanted to stop Cinder…" Ruby muttered. "Uncle Qrow said the trail led to Haven, so we wanted to start there."

Taiyang turned to glare at Qrow again, only to see a stupid smirk on Qrow's face. He simply sighed at his brother-in-law. Tai, seeing Ivan's confused expression, spoke up. "Ivan… how much do you know about what happened at Beacon?"

"Thorne filled me in on the details when I got back." Ivan responded. "I'm not quite sure how much of it I really believe, but this planet isn't exactly the most sensible place."

"So you know about the Four Maidens?" Pyrrha asked.

"I do… and that's the part that gets me." Ivan said.

"How much of the UNSC knows?" Qrow asked, his voice conveying a sense of urgency.

"The information regarding this has been restricted to high-ranking officials in ONI and those ranked Admiral and higher. I'm the exception, seeing as how I'm directly involved." Ivan explained.

Qrow sighed. "Good… The last thing we need is the public losing their collective minds."

"I can't believe Ozpin tried to rope you into that, Pyrrha…" Blake said, her words carrying a sense of understanding.

Pyrrha shrugged. "There wasn't much choice."

"At the very least, you're alright." Ivan agreed, all of JNPR nodding in agreement. Jaune interlocked his fingers with Pyrrha's, running his thumb across the back of her hand in a comforting gesture.

"It's concerning…" Blake said, musing to herself. "Why would Cinder go to lengths like that, just to get power?"

"You answered the question yourself." Ivan said, leaning against the counter. "We've all seen Cinder's Semblance in action… it's impressive. Imagine her with what I can only describe as, quite literally, magic."

"Cinder's just a pawn." Qrow said, drawing everyone's attention. "Same with Taurus." At the mention of the Bull Faunus, Yang and Ivan both visibly tensed, Yang a bit more so. Blake, while obviously uncomfortable upon the mention of his name, wrapped an arm around Yang's waist.

"If she's just the pawn, then who's the king?" Ivan asked, giving Qrow an inquisitive look.

"Now there's the million-Lien question." Qrow said, downing the rest of his glass. "And the answer looks to be in Haven."

After a few moments of contemplative silence, Yang spoke up. "We should go!" She said. "We can figure it out!"

"I don't know how I feel about that…" Taiyang began, looking around. He felt a twinge of guilt as he saw the puppy dog-eyed look that Ruby was giving him, but he pushed it aside thanks to years of living with the redhead. "Can't the UNSC or Mistral handle it?"

"Nobody knows where to look." Qrow said, shaking his head. "The only people who know about this outside the UNSC are sitting in this room."

"Doesn't Ironwood know?" Ruby asked, remembering him being a part of Ozpin's inner circle.

"Ironwood's forces were transferred to the UNSC's command." Ivan explained. "Ironwood is a UNSC General, so his hands are tied by UNSC regulations."

"It doesn't sound safe…" Taiyang added.

"It's no more dangerous than sitting around and doing nothing, letting Cinder and her puppet master get their way." Qrow retorted, earning nods of agreement all around.

Taiyang sighed. "Ivan… what kind of presence does the UEG have in Haven?"

"Not quite as much as we do in Vale, but we have enough for the entire kingdom to be secure." Ivan responded. "Six or so airbases, four forward operations bases, an embassy, et cetera."

"Alright… You can go." Taiyang relented, realizing that his worrying wouldn't stop his daughters, especially when it was something this important.

"Awesome!" Nora cheered, all of the energy she was storing away over the past five minutes of conversation bursting out instantly.

"Looks like we're back in business!" Jaune agreed, smiling.

"We're still short one…" Ruby said, her slight tone of sadness evident as she made reference to their missing Heiress.

Ivan nodded. "Her father refuses to tell Winter and I anything… other than that 'she's doing fine.'"

"We should go bust her out of Atlas!" Nora exclaimed, earning a grin from Ivan.

"I don't know how well that would work." Winter said, chuckling. "Schnee Estate is practically a fortress."

"Don't give her any ideas please." Ren said, his even voice betrayed by a small smirk as he nudged the bounding redhead.

Ivan smiled, shaking his head. "We'll discuss the details once I give Thorne a call."

"Then Operation: Find Cinder is a go!" Ruby declared, excitedly.

XXXXX

 **January 22, 2683; 1601 Hours**

 **Remnant, Patch (UNSC Military Installation: Camp Avery)**

"Let me get this straight…" Thorne said, speaking from the other end of a holographic communication. "You want the UNSC to sponsor an operation in Mistral so you all can find Cinder? All the while keeping it a complete secret from the public?"

"Pretty much." Yang affirmed with a nod.

"Well, you've come to the right guy…" Thorne said with a smile. "You've, quite literally, described what ONI exists to do. I'll forward Ivan and Winter all the data we have on Cinder and the White Fang's operations. I'm giving you a pretty big check for this one, Chesnokov."

"How big?"

"Blank." Thorne responded, smiling.

"Damn…" Ivan whispered.

"As of right now, you are all field operatives of the Office of Naval Intelligence." Thorne briefed. "I'm gonna pull some string, get you some more support. I'll have the mission briefing for you by tomorrow."

XXXXX

 **January 23, 2683; 1604 Hours**

 **Remnant, Patch (UNSC Military Installation: Camp Avery)**

Ivan pushed the door to his officer's housing on Avery Airfield, with Team RBY and JNPR following behind. Everyone looked around, unsurprised to find a rather sparsely decorated house. The entryway led into the living room, which had a single couch, pair of armchairs, and a viewscreen on the wall. The kitchen and dining room were connected to the living room, having all of the normal amenities one would expect.

"They just give these out to officers?" Jaune asked, stepping into the living room.

"Pretty much." Ivan said, nodding. "My rank, and my relationship with Winter, got the two of us a shared residence here."

" _Shared_ , huh?" Yang commented, giving Ivan a suggestive eyebrow waggle. "You guys share the bed too or-" Yang was cut off as Ivan threw a throw pillow from the couch at the blonde, hitting her square in the head. Without missing a beat, Ivan continued on his way towards the kitchen, tossing his uniform's cap onto the counter. Yang still had a devious smirk on her face as she looked around.

"Real funny, Yang." Ivan called out, draping his uniform's jacket over the back of a chair at the kitchen table.

Winter simply chuckled as she removed her hair from its bun, letting her ivory locks fall to her shoulders. "For the record… we do share the bed." With that, Winter gave the normally confident Yang a wink, and moved to join Ivan.

Yang stood stunned for a moment, seeing Winter casually stroll over to Ivan and wrap an arm around his waist. Ivan smiled as he pulled Winter into a quick kiss. He moved back into the living room, Winter still at his side.

"Alright…" Ivan said, sitting at the couch and motioning for everyone else to sit. "I talked with Qrow, and it looks like the trail leads to Haven, over in Mistral." Everyone nodded, Pyrrha looking rather distraught. "Pyrrha, I know you're a native to Mistral, is there anything you can tell me about that Kingdom?"

Pyrrha looked thoughtful for a moment, thinking of what to say. "It's… very humid and hot. The main city, for which the kingdom is named, is about the same size as Vale. There's some small villages on the outskirts of the city, but they're mostly filled with some rather… unsavory characters."

"Define unsavory…" Blake began.

"Thugs, criminals, mercenaries, and a lot of destitute poverty." Pyrrha explained.

"Seems like a good place for someone like Cinder." Yang commented, nodding.

"It would be…" Pyrrha agreed.

"Anything you can tell me about Haven?" Ivan asked.

"It's a very strict school, from what I understand." Pyrrha explained. "Strict dress code, strict professors, and it produces some very effective Huntsmen. From what I've heard, they have some reservations about the UNSC's attempts at creating ties to the school. They're a bit like the kingdom in that regard."

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked.

"Mistral hasn't been very open to the UNSC's diplomacy." Ivan explained. "Even after what happened over Vale, they're still a bit wary of us. We have a single airbase just outside the city, but it's under constant inspection from Mistral's military. The rest of our bases are on the coast or well out of the way of their villages."

"It took a fair bit of convincing to get them to sign that treaty." Winter continued. "I've heard that the President's one irritating meeting with the Kingdom's Council from claiming Eminent Domain."

"So we're not gonna get much help from the local government… great." Ivan said, sighing. "Never mind, we'll make it work." Ivan continued discussing the situation with RBY and JNPR. After an hour of discussing, they decided that they had brought up every piece of information that they could. Ivan let everyone settle in for the day.

As Ivan was descending the staircase, wearing far more casual clothes, he was surprised to find the doorbell to the house ringing. Winter stood up from her seat in an armchair and moved over to the door, Ivan a few steps behind her. Team RBY and JNPR watched from the living room, curious to see who was ringing the house at 8 P.M.

Winter opened the door, seeing a group of five standing at the door. Ivan was surprised to see Team CFVY. "Hey, everyone!" Coco greeted, a quick wave.

"'Sup, Coco!" Yang called out from the couch.

"What's up, guys?" Ivan said, smiling as he and Winter stepped aside and let them in.

"Thorne said you guys needed some support." Coco said with her normal smile. Coco hadn't changed much since Ivan saw her last. She still wore her normal intricate outfits and had her omnipresent handbag, which doubled as her weapon. "Figured we'd oblige."

"Well, I'm glad you guys are here." Ivan said, gesturing inside. "Come on in."

"Good to see you again, Ivan." Velvet said, giving the SPARTAN a smile as she stepped inside, joined by the rest of her team.

"Good to see you too, Velvet." Ivan said, leading everyone into the living room. Ivan saw that Penny had decided to let Ruby down, and was giving him a broad smile. "Hey, Fox, Yatsuhashi." Ivan said. "Long time, no see."

"Indeed." Fox said, his normal indifference still there. "Should be fun."

Ivan smiled as he stepped into the living room, where the three Huntsman teams were congregating and greeting each other. "Well… looks like we're essentially at platoon strength now. Did Thorne brief you guys?"

"He gave us all of the information we'd need." Coco confirmed, sitting in one of the armchairs. "Apparently, we're going to Mistral."

"Yep." Ivan responded, nodding. "You know our mission?"

"Find that Cinder bitch." Coco affirmed with a stiff tone.

"Alright…" Ivan said, smiling. "We're heading out tomorrow, bright and early. In the meantime, feel free to make yourselves at home."

"Oh, Coco's way ahead of you on that." Fox commented, smiling.

"Damn right." Coco smiled, holding her arms out in a beckoning gesture towards Velvet. To say that Ivan was surprised would be an understatement. He saw Velvet blush heavily as she sat herself on Coco's lap, earning an amused smile from the brunette as she planted a kiss on the Faunus' neck.

"Wait… when did this happen?" Ivan asked, looking towards Coco as he leaned against the side of the couch.

"Few months ago." Coco responded, resting her chin on Velvet's shoulder. "After Beacon got destroyed, Velvet needed a place to stay, so I let her stay at my family's place here in Vale. It just kinda went from there, to be honest."

"Was it as awkward as Ivan and Winter getting together?" Yang asked, giving an amused smile. She ignored the glare that Ivan sent her way.

"How awkward was it?" Velvet asked.

"Do you remember when Jaune hit on Weiss?" Blake responded, earning a groan from the blonde boy.

"Ouch…" Coco said, giving Ivan a wry smile.

"Lesbians, man…" Ivan muttered to himself, earning a laugh from Winter.

XXXXX

 **January 24, 2683; 1046 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (UNSC Military Installation: Camp Vorbeck)**

Ivan jolted slightly as the Pelican dropship carrying him, Winter, Penny, Team JNPR, RBY, and CFVY set down. Ivan stood upright, everyone else following suit once the bay door opened. "Those things are awesome." Nora said, referencing the Pelican.

Once Ivan stepped into the open Mistralian air, he immediately regretted the black and grey uniform he was wearing. The humid heat hit him like a truck, causing him to let out a breath. "Good God, people live in this heat?" Ivan asked, looking back to Pyrrha.

"It's not so bad once you get used to it." Pyrrha responded, shrugging. Ivan realized why Pyrrha's normal attire left quite a bit of room for her body to breathe, and the weather he was currently experiencing was the reason.

"Whoa…" Ruby said, looking around the base. The airfield they were on was massive, about the same size as Avery Airfield. What was truly surprising was the fact that it sported a pair of drydocks, each one housing a Strident-Class Frigate. There were UNSC Falcons and Mistral Bullheads flying overhead, along with the occasional visible Broadsword fighter.

There were a few dozen UNSC Marines patrolling around the perimeter of the base, joined by the occasional Mistralian military official. The Mistral soldiers seemed to regard the UNSC soldiers with a sense of tension, but they appeared to cooperate well enough. Ivan sighed, wishing he had decided to wear something a bit less constraining. "Alright, I've got to get the details sorted out with Command, then we'll be good to go."

"Let's go!" Nora declared happily.

XXXXX

 **January 24, 2683; 1120 Hours**

 **Remnant, Atlas**

Weiss sighed, looking through her personal notebook and tapping her pen against the desk. She had been working on a song fit to sing at the Charity Concert next week. She had gone through all of her old songs that she had written, and none of them seemed to fit. It was only now that she had an idea she thought _might_ work. A way to make her point not only to her father, but to herself.


	25. Chapter 25: Harsh Reunions

**Chapter 25: Harsh Reunions**

 **A/N: This is where the "M" Rating goes into full effect.**

 **January 24, 2683; 1230 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (UNSC Military Installation: Camp Vorbeck)**

Ivan stepped into the large officer's housing that was granted to him and his platoon of Huntsmen for the duration of their mission in Mistral. It was notably larger and more well-equipped than his housing on Patch, the documentation on the building showing that it featured two stories, a basement, four bedrooms, a small armory in the basement, and more than enough space to house the entirety of his force in comfort.

Ivan's notably larger team of Huntsmen followed him inside, seeing that the house was already decorated in some ways, with furniture already set up. There was a lot of open space in the entryway, which gave way to the living room and a hallway leading into the lounge. While most officer's housing structures were rather barebones in their amenities, Thorne had managed to pull a fair few strings across Mistral, getting Ivan the Commanding Officer's Housing, which was nothing short of an estate.

Ivan walked around the large home, seeing that there was a living room with two couches aligned to face a coffee table and viewscreen, a fully-stocked kitchen, a lounge featuring comfortable-looking chairs and a full electronic entertainment suite, large bedrooms with queen-sized beds, a study/office space that was occupied by a desk, bookshelves, and a computer terminal, and finally the stocked armory. The armory was more than enough to store the weapons for the residents and then some. It was already stocked with all manner of advanced UNSC equipment, from the mainstay MA5E Assault Rifle to the advanced ARC-920 railgun. The basement itself was a mix between an armory, a firing range, and a small-scale combat simulator, and it was rather obvious that no expenses were spared in the creation of this building. Ivan made a mental note to thank Thorne for the MJOLNIR removal machine that was in the armory. "That is AWESOME!" Nora declared, seeing the armory, stocked with small arms and ordinance.

"Please don't blow the house up." Ren deadpanned, placing his machine pistols onto a small rack next to the M6 magnums.

Everyone stowed their weapons away in a spot in the armory, and eventually filed back into the first floor's living room. "This place is pretty cool." Coco commented, looking around. "Even has a wet bar."

"Let's leave the alcohol alone for a while." Ivan said, smiling. "Alright… now that we're all here in Mistral, we need a game plan. Pyrrha, do you have anything, anything at all, you can do here to get us a good starting point?"

"I can try to get the local police departments to open up about high-crime areas in the city and villages." Pyrrha said, shrugging. "I might be able to get help from my parents, but that's a bit of a stretch."

Ivan nodded. "Good enough start, I suppose. I was planning on heading into Mistral and getting in touch with the headmaster of Haven, see if he has anything for me."

"Most likely an exercise in futility." Winter added. "You said it yourself, they're not too keen on the UNSC, or our help."

"Doesn't hurt to try." Ivan said, shrugging. "And it'll help me get a lay of the land around here. As helpful as the UNSC's Sat-Maps are, they don't do much for us on the ground."

"I say we split up into teams." Coco added. "Work in teams of three or four, and move around from there."

"Good idea." Ivan said, nodding. "It'll be a helluva lot less suspicious if there's groups of three walking around, instead of a giant group of thirteen. How should we split up? By team?"

"That'd probably be best." Blake said, nodding. "Team RBY, Team JNPR, and CFVY."

"But that leaves Winter and Ivan as a group of two." Velvet voiced her concern.

"That's fine." Ivan said, shrugging. "Winter and I are used to working as a pair." Ivan pointedly ignored the suggestive eyebrow waggle from Yang. "We'll be fine."

"I'll make sure he doesn't get himself in too much trouble. Seems to follow him around, after all." Winter jested, smiling.

Ivan allowed himself a small chuckle. "Alright… We'll just wing it tomorrow, I guess. We can reconvene back here tomorrow at five after we've all gotten our bearings around town."

"Sounds good to me." Yang voiced, earning nods from everyone present.

"Alright, let's get settled in and get some sleep. We've got some work ahead of us." Ivan said, adjourning the impromptu meeting.

XXXXX

 **January 25, 2683; 1350 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (UNSC Military Installation: Camp Vorbeck)**

To say that Blake was impressed by the house was certainly an understatement. Not only was it comfortable, it was right in the middle of a UNSC airbase, making it easily the safest place to be. She casually strolled around the room that she and Yang would be sharing, having stowed Gambol Shroud away in the armory and packed her clothes and belongings away. She sighed, remembering that most of her beloved books were now locked away in their old dorm room at Beacon. _"Probably Grimm food by now…"_ Blake sadly thought to herself as she flopped onto the bed. _"I never did finish Ninjas of Lo-"_

"Blake!" Yang bolted into the room, startling the Faunus out of her thoughts. "You won't believe this!"

"Wha-?!" Before she could even formulate a response, the blonde had grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to her feet. She led Blake through the second floor's hallway, eventually pushing a rather benign door open. Greeting her, was the sight of a rather large bathroom with a- "Is that a hot tub?" Blake asked, stunned by the rather large tub of bubbling water.

"I know, right!?" Yang said, ecstatic.

Blake thought for a moment… wondering why it was on. "Yang… why is the thing on?"

Yang, surprisingly, seemed to pause for the slightest moment. "Oh… I wanted to use it."

"Are you asking me to use the hot tub with you?" Blake inquired, smirking slightly.

" _Maybe_ …" Yang singsonged, pulling her yellow t-shirt over her head. Blake was completely powerless to stop the creeping blush, seeing her girlfriend's upper torso exposed. The only thing providing Yang a sense of decency was the black bra covering her breasts and the pair of black shorts. Blake's heart dropped when she saw Yang's right shoulder.

At that point on the blonde's shoulder, woman met machine. In a strange mesh of metal and flesh, the black metallic covering seemed to be implanted directly into her shoulder, with small bits of scar tissue visible from the meeting point. It seemed as if the scars were crawling out from underneath the cyberarm, which whirred softly with even the most subtle of movements. Blake must have been staring, because Yang's concerned tone drew her back.

"Blake… you alright?" She asked, turning to face the silently staring Faunus.

Blake's lips moved, but the words weren't there. The image of the woman standing before her, quite literally, leaving her speechless. Blake stepped forward, pulling the blonde brawler into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry…" Blake whispered, suppressing the sob that threatened to make its way out.

"Hey…" Yang comforted, running a hand across Blake's back. "What happened back there wasn't your fault… I shouldn't have charged in like that."

"I shouldn't have gone off…" Blake began sniffling, pulling back to let amber irises look into lilac. "I should have stayed with you and-" Blake was cut off as Yang stole a quick kiss.

"You _shouldn't_ worry about that." Yang said, brushing a strand of onyx hair out from Blake's face, carefully placing it behind her ear. "It all worked out, didn't it?" As Blake nodded, Yang smiled. She pulled the Faunus in for another quick, chaste kiss.

Blake smiled as Yang pulled back. "I love you, Yang." She said, amber meeting lilac

Yang smiled. "I love you too, Blake. Now c'mon… We've got the house to ourselves for most of the day, might as well enjoy it."

"I'd like that…" Blake said, wiping the moisture from her eyes.

"Good…" Yang said, smiling. "Now… will you be joining me, Miss Belladonna?" Yang smirked as she began fiddling the buttons on Blake's vest, earning a blush from the Faunus.

"You're using the hot tub in your underwear?" Blake asked, eyebrow raised.

"Nope…" Yang said, smirk still present. Blake's face went beet-red when Yang reached behind her back, undoing the clasp of her bra and letting it fall to the floor. Blake had seen Yang's bare chest once before, but that was long before she had expressed her feelings towards the blonde. Yang apparently had very little shame when it came to showering after a three day-long mission in Mountain Glenn, deciding not to wear a towel when she left the bathroom to get her pajamas. Blake immediately felt a slight pang of jealousy when she saw Yang's wonderfully full bust.

"Cat's got your tongue, Blakey?" Yang asked, giving the Faunus a sly wink.

"So insufferable…" Blake muttered to herself as she unbuttoned her vest, letting it fall to the floor. She pulled her shirt and compression top over her head in a quick, elegant motion, allowing her own breasts exposure.

Yang gave a playful purr. "Ooh… kitty titties." Blake was left well and truly speechless as Yang reached down, pulling her shorts off and letting them fall to her ankles. She kicked them off with one foot, allowing herself to be fully uncovered.

Blake forced her eyes to stop wandering across the blonde's body. _Damn her and that confident damned smirk_. She pulled her leggings off, almost tripping over herself in her haste. For the slightest, fleeting moment, Blake allowed herself a small smile at the blonde's rather obvious staring. In a burst of confidence, she moved forward, pulling the stunned Yang into a passionate kiss. Yang melted into the embrace, allowing Blake's tongue to explore.

Blake pulled back, her body demanding that she breathe. She smiled slightly at the blonde's stunned expression, which seemed to be doing its best not to stare at the Faunus' chest. "Cat's got _who's_ tongue?" Blake asked, running a hand through the blonde mane before her.

Yang, a few moments late, realized what Blake said, and started giggling. She ran a hand over Blake's hips, grabbing her rear and pulling her into another kiss, a kiss which ended far too soon for her liking. Yang took her turn to pull back, leaving Blake stunned as she strolled towards the waiting tub of warm water. She could swear she heard a small whimper from behind her as she walked, swaying her hips a _bit_.

Before Yang had even lowered herself completely into the water, Blake had made her way over, placing herself onto the blonde's lap. She gave Yang a few quick pecks on the lips, working her way to the blonde's neck. She could feel Yang's breath hitch when her lips pressed against a particularly sensitive spot on her collarbone. Yang let her hands wander where they pleased, finding a place on Blake's chest. While Blake's lips traced their way across Yang's collarbone, Yang was gently running her hands across Blake's breasts, occasionally stopping to give their peaks attention. Blake let out a moan, enticing Yang to continue.

Yang felt Blake's hands begin slowly trailing down her sides, eventually stopping just atop her thighs. The feeling of Blake's hands working their way in between her legs caused a familiar pressure to start building in Yang's core. Yang let out a pleasured moan as Blake's hand ran across her inner thigh, then moving to trace the folds of the blonde's center. Yang completely forgot what to do with her hands, settling on wrapping them around the Faunus.

After letting her fingers dance across the blonde's core, Blake let her index finger explore the inside of Yang's sex. After a moment, and moving her finger in just the right way, she heard Yang bite back a moan, letting her know that she was doing something right. She added her middle finger, allowing her thumb to dance across the blonde's button. Blake felt the strangest feeling of pleasure as her girlfriend- no, lover's nails raked across her back.

Blake continued her work, gradually increasing the pace of her wrist's movements. As she felt the blonde's sex begin tightening around her fingers, she made one final thrust with her hand, rubbing circles on Yang's clit with her thumb. Yang's pleasured moans and incoherent ramblings of her lover's name eventually culminated in a final, wonderful scream as Blake worked her to climax, causing her back to arch and her head to be thrown back in pleasure.

Blake removed her fingers from Yang, earning one final whimper as her digits slid out. Blake let a small smile grace her lips as a feeling of pride welled up in her chest. Her wonderful, boisterous blonde girlfriend had just been brought to a screaming climax. Blake realized that she had been unconsciously grinding against the Blonde's leg, her body burning with a desire to relieve the pressure built up between her own legs.

Yang sighed, looking up to her onyx-haired beloved with a smile. "Wow…" She said, her breathing still ragged. When she looked up, she found Blake's core to be pressed against her thigh, an almost pleading look on the Faunus' face. A devious smirk crossed Yang's face as she slid a hand down towards Blake's center, earning a whimper from the feline Faunus. Yang wasn't selfish enough to have _all_ of the fun.

XXXXX

 **January 25, 2683; 1421 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Haven Academy)**

Ivan sighed as he climbed out of the Civilian Warthog, parked right before Haven Academy. To say that this school was impressive would be quite the understatement. Its buildings were a mix of grey, black, and white, all of it meshing together to form a strangely beautiful monochromatic color scheme that stood out against the green foliage that filled the area around the school.

Winter made her way out of the vehicle's passenger seat, taking in the view as well. "It certainly is an interesting school… if a bit ominous."

Ivan shrugged. "With any luck, we can get the hell out of here with our jobs being a bit easier. If the local huntsmen are on our side, or at least not distrusting of us, we can get this done a lot quicker."

As Ivan and Winter made their way through the school's campus, drawing the occasional look from students as they passed. Ivan had neglected to wear his uniform, opting for more casual clothes. Winter also chose to follow that route, looking to blend in a bit better. The uniformed students of Haven seemed rather disinterested by the pair making their way towards the center of the school's circular complex.

As they neared the center of the massive school, the administration building came into view. It bore a few similarities to Beacon Tower, but seemed a bit sleeker in its design, favoring the apparent post-modern design of Mistral as a whole. The city actually had some resemblance to cities on Earth, with towering skyscrapers scattered around a central city, the buildings getting progressively smaller further away from the center.

The inside of the tower was rather sparse, only having a single desk in the center occupied by a receptionist, who seemed to be typing away at a computer with passive indifference. She paid the pair no mind as they stepped through the door. Ivan stepped towards the desk, catching the young woman's attention. "Excuse me, Ma'am?" Ivan asked. "I'd like to speak with the headmaster, if possible."

"Are you a student?" She asked, giving the SPARTAN a quizzical expression.

"No, I am not."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"I do not, but it's important."

"Too important to give a day's notice?" She asked, sarcastically.

"Were it possible, I would have." Ivan said, his expression remaining diplomatic and neutral.

"Why do you need to see the headmaster?"

"Under orders from the UNSC Office of Naval Intelligence." Ivan explained.

"UNSC? What do you need to see the headmaster about?"

"Classified." Ivan responded.

The woman rolled her eyes. "Of course it is." She pressed a button on her computer, awaiting a response. She spoke in a language that Ivan vaguely recognized as a dialect of French, the meanings of the foreign words going right over his head. "The headmaster will see you. You're lucky he's not busy right now."

"Thank you." Ivan replied.

"Alright, the elevator's behind me, fifteenth floor, door at the end of the hallway." She directed, turning back to the green glow of her monitor.

Ivan followed the direction, Winter falling into step with him as he stepped into the elevator. He struck the required button on the console, causing the lift to begin moving. After the short ride, they were greeted by a small hallway with a few doors, the one leading to the office of the headmaster having a few padded chairs on the outside, presumably for those waiting to sit on.

"Well, let's not keep him waiting, shall we, Lieutenant?"

"Of course not, Colonel." Winter responded, smirking slightly.

XXXXX

 **January 25, 2683; 1640 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Ivan sighed as he stepped back into the provided housing, surprised to find it rather quiet. He equated it to CFVY and JNPR still being out, doing their own thing. Winter and Ruby followed behind him as he made his way into the living room, even more surprised to find the couch unoccupied, the kitchen devoid of life, and the rest of the house eerily quiet. "It's surprisingly quiet…" Ivan said, throwing his everyday carry items onto his normal spot on the counter. He worked the magnum out from his waistband, placing it on the counter, still in its holster with the safety on.

"Maybe Yang and Blake went out?" Ruby suggested, shrugging.

"Probably." Ivan said, leaning against the kitchen's island. "Can't believe the nerve of that headmaster asshole…"

"A lot of his… abrasiveness was rather uncalled for." Winter agreed. "He sure seemed to soften up when you got Thorne on the line, though."

"I still can't believe he threatened to get the Admiral and President involved…" Ivan commented, laughing slightly. "And that's why we love Agent Thorne."

"He threatened to call the President?" Ruby asked, giving Ivan a questioning look.

"Oh, he would've." Ivan said, smiling. "Thorne's one of the higher-ups in ONI, most of them regularly talk with the President. Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if this operation we're on was sanctioned by the President himself with the amount of strings Thorne pulled to make this happen."

"What happened after that?" Ruby asked.

"He promised that he'd tell his students to keep an eye out for anything suspicious and report it to the Airbase's Command if it was big enough. Anything else would be reported to Mistral PD, which would eventually make its way to the UNSC either way." Ivan explained. "Honestly… better outcome than I thought. We'll have a few more eyes and ears, at least."

"I wonder how Pyrrha's doing with the local police…" Winter wondered. "She's something of a celebrity, so I'd imagine she'll be able to call in a few favors."

"Hopefully…" Ivan agreed. He stretched his arms, standing upright again. "Alright… I'm gonna go put my stuff away and shower, then we'll get the others back here to discuss the plan."

"Sounds good!" Ruby said, smiling.

Winter gave a small smile and a nod as Ivan passed, heading up the stairs. He ducked into the bedroom that he and Winter shared, grabbing a pair of pants, an uninteresting black shirt, and stepped back into the hallway, heading for the bathroom that actually had a working hot water setting. He made a mental note to himself to get the one in his room's attached bathroom fixed.

As Ivan stepped into the bathroom, he was greeted by the sight of various… articles of clothing littering the floor. Normally, he would've immediately associated something like this with Yang just being lazy, but when he saw Blake's on the ground too, the pieces started fitting together. To say that he wasn't expecting to see Yang and Blake's underwear and clothes strewn around the bathroom haphazardly would be one hell of an understatement. Ivan calmly placed his clothes on the sink's counter, pushing the clothes into as neat of a pile as possible with his feet, and stepped back outside.

He descended the stairs, surprised to hear a familiar-sounding song playing through a small speaker on the kitchen counter. Winter was sitting on the couch, reading a datapad. She turned to look once he entered. "Where's Ruby?" Ivan asked

"She's down in the armory working with Crescent Rose." Winter responded, looking up from her datapad. "I thought you were going to shower."

"I was… but it seems that the universe has other plans." Ivan said, earning a cocked eyebrow from Winter.

"Did the water main explode or something?" She asked.

"Jesus, I wish that was the issue." Ivan said, sighing.

"Well, what's going on?" Winter asked.

"I found Yang's clothes _literally_ all over the damn place." Ivan explained.

"Doesn't she know that we have a laundry basket for a reason?" Winter asked.

"And Blake's clothes…" Ivan explained. "Like… _all_ of their clothes."

Winter seemed confused for a moment, understanding suddenly dawning on her face. "Oh… OH…"

"Yeah…" Ivan said, looking rather uncomfortable.

"Well… I mean…" Winter tried, the words not really finding a proper place. "Are they awake?"

"No idea, I didn't check." Ivan said. " _Probably_ should've done that."

"At least you admit it…" Winter said, smiling as she turned back to her datapad.

Ivan sighed, making his way back upstairs. Thankfully, Ivan didn't have to worry about their door being wide open as he knocked, hearing that their room was eerily silent. Even his augmented hearing couldn't detect anything. "Yang… Blake…?" Ivan asked, understanding of just how awkward the situation was dawning on him.

XXXXX

 **January 25, 2683; 1650 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Yang smiled as she heard the soft purring of her Faunus lover, currently buried in her shoulder. The pleasant afterglow that came with their recent escapades was still more than present. They had both drifted off into a _very_ pleasant slumber for a short time, with Yang being the first one to wake up again.

Yang leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to Blake's forehead, causing the feline Faunus to stir slightly. She yawned, her eyes slowly fluttering open. Lilac met amber, and a small, sheepish smile crossed Blake's lips. "So…" She began. "That happened."

Yang hugged her tighter. "Yep… it did… And there's nobody I would've rather done it with." She leaned down, bringing Blake in for a short, chaste kiss. "I love you, Blake."

"I love you too, Yang." The two fell into a comfortable, pleasant silence as they laid, there, simply enjoying the company. It was so wonderfully peaceful, having their lover wrapped in their embrace.

Yang's heart nearly jumped into her chest when she heard a few short raps against the door. "Yang… Blake…?" The familiar voice of Ivan asked.

Blake and Yang both froze for a moment, with Yang being the first to break the momentary silence. "One second!" She responded, pulling the covers off and setting to work on getting dressed. Blake, naturally, was dressed far quicker than Yang, but the time difference was surprisingly short. Both had decided to don rather simplistic clothes, t-shirts and shorts.

Hoping to make the situation slightly less awkward, Yang moved to open the door, revealing a rather smug-looking Ivan. "Hey Ivan!" Yang said, doing her utmost to appear outwardly calm. "What's up?"

"The hot tub? Really?" Ivan asked, the damned smug smile crossing his face. Yang and Blake both turned beet-red, only making Ivan's smugness even more apparent.


	26. Chapter 26: The Call

**Chapter 26: The Call**

 **January 25, 2683; 1653 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

If there was one thing that Ivan never expected to see, it was Blake hiding beneath the covers while Yang stood before him, a stupid smirk mixed with a heated red blush on her face. She seemed to take his hot tub comment in stride, while Blake merely tucked herself deeper into the sheets of the bed. "Sorry, forgot to turn it off." Yang said, the awkwardness flooding through her false confidence.

"Right…" Ivan said, suppressing his smirk. "I'm going to get the others, we need to actually _plan_ our next move."

"Sounds good!" Yang said, doing her utmost to sound cheery in spite of the situation.

Ivan finally broke a small smirk and walked away, choosing to end the hideously awkward situation as soon as possible. He quickly descended the staircase, finding Ruby to be joining Winter on the sofa. Winter was casually reading over mission reports, and Ruby was reading a magazine with the quite creative title of "Weapons". "Winter, care to join me? I'm gonna go get JNPR."

"Sure." Winter said, placing the datapad back onto the table. "Coming, Ruby?"

"Yeah!" Ruby said, closing the magazine and bounding to her feet. She quickly ran up to the pair of SPARTANs, following them out of the house.

"Let's get JNPR first." Ivan said, walking to the transport Warthog that rested in front of the housing unit.

"Are Yang and Blake coming?" Ruby asked, climbing into the second row of seats.

Ivan paused for a bit longer than he would've liked. "They're… indisposed right now." Ivan climbed into the driver's seat, keying the ignition and bringing the hydrogen engine to life. Winter jumped into the passenger seat soon after.

Just before Ivan could shift the vehicle into first gear, his communicator beeped in his ear. He pressed a finger to his ear, his retinal display showing the communication to be coming from Pyrrha. "What's up, Pyrrha?" Ivan asked. "We're just coming to get you guys."

"Ivan, you should probably get everyone and meet us at the Mistral Police Headquarters downtown." Pyrrha said, her tone urgent. "Police Chief has something for us."

"On the way." Ivan said, quickly hopping out of the still-on Warthog and jogging towards the front door. He opened it, stuck his head inside, and shouted "Yang, Blake! Get out here, we're heading downtown!" Not hearing the muffled response, Ivan quickly headed back towards the Warthog, linking up to Coco's scroll through his neural implant. "Coco, regroup at the Mistral PD Headquarters downtown."

"Got it." Coco responded, succinct. She cut the communication from her end.

Ivan hopped back into the driver's seat of the Warthog. "Police have something for us." Ivan said, seeing the confused look on Ruby's face.

After a few moments, Blake and Yang came out of the house, wearing their normal attire and carrying their weapons. The two of them climbed into the rear-most set of seats aboard the vehicle, silently and awkwardly. Ivan quickly threw the vehicle into gear and took off.

XXXXX

 **January 25, 2683; 1745 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Mistral PD Headquarters)**

Ivan rolled his eyes as he went through _another_ security checkpoint, courtesy of Mistral PD. They had gone so far as to ask him to remove the pins on his uniform, his cap, his belt, everything short of the grey uniform that all UNSC officers wear. After nearly twenty minutes in security, he was finally cleared to pass. Unsurprisingly, he and Winter were the only two who underwent such extensive security checks.

RWBY and CFVY passed through so long as they showed their weapons, which peeved the SPARTAN to no end. Once Yang, being the last in line, was through, a pair of Mistral Police walked them into a large conference room, where JNPR was already standing around a table. Joining the team was an older man with a full beard and bald head. He was wearing a mix of Mistral Police fatigues and combat armor with officer's markings. He seemed surprised by the sheer number of people walking into the conference room. "Well, since you decided to bring everyone, I suppose I should actually get started." The Police Chief said, pressing a key on the underside of the table.

Ivan watched as a projection of Mistral and the surrounding villages popped up from a small holographic projector in the table. The Police Chief continued. "We've been getting dozens of reports of Faunus activity passing through this village here." As he explained, a marker designated the village in question. It appeared small, probably housing no more than a thousand people. It rested at the foot of a small trio of mountains.

"Passing through the village?" Ivan asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he examined the projection of the terrain.

"They pass through the village and head north, towards the mountains." The Chief responded. "No clue why, but it's exclusively Faunus. No humans have been seen doing this. We have limited intelligence on this, since I can barely move my people outside the city walls, it's too dangerous."

For the life of him, Ivan couldn't figure why the police simply left these small towns outside of the city walls to fend for themselves, but he decided to keep quiet. "Is there anything else you can tell us?" Winter asked.

"Nobody that's been seen going up there has ever come back down." The Chief responded, earning a grim look from all those around the table.

"Thank you for bringing this to our attention." Winter said, nodding. "We'll look into it."

"Apparently the Mistral Military has already gone to investigate." The Chief explained, earning a sour look from the two SPARTANs."

"We'll deal with that when we get there." Ivan said, sighing. "Thank you, sir."

XXXXX

 **January 25, 2683; 1951 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (2km Outside Walls)**

Ivan sat in the passenger's seat of a Warthog, which was part of a larger convoy that rolled down the dirt road outside of Mistral's defensive wall. Joining the convoy was a trio of Warthogs equipped with extra passenger seating and an armored canopy, two Gauss Warthogs, and two standard chaingun-bearing Warthgos. The three armored personnel carriers were responsible for transporting the three Huntsmen teams, while the four weaponized vehicles provided fire support and escort. Any extra space in the backs of the passenger Warthogs was taken up by ODSTs.

The roads outside of the city in the late evening were practically devoid of life. There was the occasional truck driving by, but they tended to give the UNSC a wide berth. As they neared the small mountainside village, Ivan threw his MJOLNIR helmet over his head, locking it in place. Winter, who was manning the Gauss cannon on the back of his Warthog, sent him a "ready" ping.

The village they passed through was silent this late at night, save for the Warthog engines. There was the local militia that seemed to tense up at the sight of the UNSC military rolling through their small town in the dead of night, but they were smart enough to ignore the vehicles, save for the occasional glare. The streets were paved, which was rare for a town like this, and the streetlights gave the town an ominous feel. The occasional civilian opened their window to look at the UNSC as they passed, but nothing beyond that happened as they drove through.

As they neared the northern outskirts of the town, they were greeted by the sight of a sparsely-forested area. There appeared to be a very deliberate de-foresting of a small mountainside passage, as well as wear on the underbrush, indicating that people had passed through relatively recently. Luckily, a wide enough area had been cleared to allow even a Scorpion-II to pass through, not that the heavy tank would care about thin pine trees standing in its way.

Ivan gave the motion for the convoy to continue on through the clearing. He hefted his Battle Rifle up to his shoulder, sweeping the treeline with his thermal optics activated. The forest was unnaturally quiet, with only the humming of the Gauss Cannon's inductive coils and the Warthog engine to keep the SPARTAN company.

After a few minutes of driving, the convoy was greeted by a sight that confused the SPARTAN to no end. In the center of a large clearing at the base of the largest mountain, there were six crashed Bullheads, looking like they were torn apart through brute force. There were scorch marks pockmarking the grass, and nearly four dozen Mistral Military personnel laying throughout the clearing, charred, burned, torn apart, and mutilated. Joining the dead Mistral armed forces were roughly two dozen White Fang, their bodies similarly torn apart and battered.

At the base of the mountain, there appeared to be a quarry of some kind. It was a hole in the ground, roughly forty meters wide, and surrounded by excavation equipment. Most of the White Fang corpses were surrounding the quarry. "Form a perimeter!" Ivan ordered, jumping out of the Warthog.

The fifteen ODSTs joining the SPARTAN disembarked from their vehicles, taking up positions around the area. The Warthogs moved to create a rough perimeter around the quarry, which rested off to the side of a four hundred meter clearing. ODST medics rushed over to the Mistral military, inspecting their wounds.

The three teams of Huntsmen jumped out of their vehicles, greeted by the stench of hours-dead corpses. A few of them, namely Jaune, recoiled in disgust. The three teams moved to meet up with Winter and Ivan, who were walking towards the quarry. "Ivan!" Ruby shouted, flashing over with her semblance. "What's going on?"

Just as Ruby arrived, Ivan was looking over the edge of the hole in the ground. He seemed to be staring down, completely oblivious to the redhead's presence. "What is it, Ivan?" Ruby asked, looking over the edge herself. She was greeted by the image of the forty foot-deep hole in the ground. It was dug at a slight angle, allowing people to walk down the slight incline in the ground. At the bottom, about forty feet down, was a wall of silverite metal and fluorescent blue lights. Ruby recognized it as looking strangely similar to the armor that Ivan's semblance gave him.

"Forerunners…" Ivan said, finishing Ruby's thought for her. "Son of a bitch!" He said, quickly wheeling around and pressing a hand to the side of his helmet. "Agent Thorne, do you read?"

"Loud and clear, SPARTAN." Thorne said. "What is it?"

"I need a full deployment to my current position, we've uncovered Forerunner ruins." Ivan said, Thorne's end of the communication going silent for a few moments.

"Mistral Treaty be damned, this overrides their damned security concerns." Thorne said. "Hang tight, Firebase deployment en-route. Hold your position until the deployment completes. Thorne out."

Ivan turned to the ODSTs and confused Huntsmen. "Hold your positions, the UNSC is deploying a full firebase to this location."

"What's going on?" Blake asked.

"Beneath us, there are Forerunner ruins." Ivan explained, earning even more looks of confusion from the Huntsmen. The ODSTs seemed to understand, and began digging in. "What that means, is that this location is currently on lock-down. If the White Fang were doing what I think they were, that puts this entire planet in danger. Forerunner Ruins are dangerous, far beyond the imagining of the White Fang."

"Why are they dangerous? What are Forerunners?" Coco asked.

Ivan sighed, beginning his explanation. "You've all been given clearance by ONI to know this, so I'm telling you now. Everything you see and hear from here on out will be given Zeta-1 Classification. None of you are permitted to discuss the findings in these ruins with anyone outside of ONI or this group."

"Now that that's out of the way, the Forerunners are an ancient race of hyper-advanced aliens that controlled a galaxy-spanning empire. They're responsible for creating the armor that I can call upon, as well as those androids that you've all seen me command. These ruins can house any number of things, from Forerunner Sentinel constructs, Prometheans, or something far worse."

"Worse?" Ruby asked.

"Something that goes far beyond any clearance that any of you will ever have." Ivan explained. "If, God help us, the worst case scenario is down there, then you can know. Until then, it remains classified."

"The thing Ivan is talking about is the reason that SPARTANs still exist." Winter explained. "It's a threat that goes far beyond the Grimm or Cinder."

Before any more questions could be asked, the roar of several dozen engines filled the air. Looking up, the group was greeted by the sight of a UNSC Deployable Firebase, being carried by a Heavy Load Bearing Platform. It was an actual building, looking identical to the command bunker of Firebase India. The group of Huntsmen stood stunned as the building touched down in the center of the clearing, locking itself into the hardened ground with hydraulic clamps.

Just behind the command bunker, seven more buildings were brought down by these load bearing platforms. The platforms deployed a barracks, a field armory, a motor pool/vehicle depot, a small mobile airpad, two supply pads, and a small fusion reactor. The smaller buildings were dropped in a "U" shape around the rear of the command bunker. Behind the smaller load bearing platforms came four Pelicans, carrying Marines and Field Engineers. The Engineers quickly jumped out of the back of the Pelicans, and began working on connecting the reactor to the rest of the newly deployed Firebase. Twelve of the unoccupied Engineers began setting up defensive turrets around the base, as well as railgun platforms, mobile SAM batteries, and incendiary mortars. Everyone other than the SPARTANs and ODSTs stood slack-jawed as the UNSC had just set up a veritable fortress in under five minutes, effectively locking down the area. It suddenly became abundantly clear just how quickly the UNSC could project an immense amount of force anywhere on Remnant.

As Ivan admired the Deployed Fortress, his communicator bleeped to life in his ear. He immediately answered the call, seeing it was from Thorne on his HUD. "Go ahead." Ivan said, internally smirking at the dumbfounded expressions from the Huntsmen.

"Ivan, I'm placing Firebase Echo under your command." Thorne explained. "Soldiers, vehicles, and air assets are at your command."

"Understood."

"But… that also means you'll be dealing with any guests that decide to come investigate." Thorne said. Just as Thorne spoke, a veritable fleet of Mistral Bullheads flew overhead. The VTOLs were a mix of passenger aircraft and ground-attack aircraft. Joining them was their mothership, a Mistral Flagship.

"Son of a bitch…" Ivan muttered. "Understood, I'll deal with the peanut gallery."

"I wish you luck, SPARTAN." Thorne said, his voice very nearly being drowned out by the howling Bullhead engines. "Even the President could barely talk with Mistral." With that, Thorne severed the comms.

Ivan sighed, seeing the Marines around the Firebase begin forming a defensive perimeter. As much as he hated to admit it, he expected a firefight. He linked his communicator to the base-wide comms network. "Marines, this is Colonel Chesnokov." Ivan began. "Dig in and prime the mobile SAMs and Railgun artillery. Set up a defensive perimeter and secure this clearing. Do not fire unless fired upon."

Ivan turned to the Huntsmen surrounding him, their weapons prepared. "Let's keep this civil." Ivan shouted over the roar of the Flagship's engines. "I'd rather avoid a war!"

Ivan felt his comms ping again, answering it. "Yes?" He asked, somewhat irritated.

"Colonel, a Mistral Bullhead is requesting permission to land." The Firebase ATC Commander explained.

"Direct them to my current position." Ivan responded.

After a quick moment of waiting, the Bullhead in question set down near Ivan, allowing a Mistralian Brigadier General to step out of the VTOL. He was joined by four Mistral Elite Guard, their golden armored collars indicating their rank. As the General approached, he seemed to regard the Marines and pair of SPARTANs with disdain, a seemingly perpetual sneer on his mustached face. Ivan keyed Thorne's communicator into the discussion. "Where is your commanding officer?" The General demanded of Ivan, looking up at the SPARTAN, who was easily a foot taller.

"You would be speaking to the commander of this facility." Ivan responded. "Colonel Ivan Chesnokov, SPARTAN Corps and commanding officer of Firebase Echo."

"Well, _Colonel_ , I am ordering you to remove this facility from these grounds immediately. You are trespassing on sovereign Mistral lands, and are in violation of the Treaty of Mistral."

"The situation has changed." Ivan said, drawing a glare from the General. "Forerunner ruins have been discovered here, and under the authority of the UNSC High Command, I have been ordered to secure these ruins and learn their purpose. This mission is a part of an investigation into the White Fang attack on Vale seven months ago, an investigation that was sanctioned by your government."

"We did not sanction the deployment of UNSC military onto our sovereign lands." The General responded.

"Your lands have not been sovereign since the Sydney Accords." Ivan answered. "Despite this fact, we respected your wishes and signed a separate treaty. That treaty, however, gives UNSC HIGHCOM the authority to claim eminent domain over any lands found to be containing Forerunner Ruins. This area just so happens to contain these ruins."

"Where is your proof?" The General demanded once again.

"Look down the hole in the ground, you can see the Forerunner Alloy walls." Ivan answered.

The General scowled, nodding to one of his guardsmen to go inspect the hole. The Elite Guard jogged over to the dug-out section of ground, peering down. After a few moments of staring, he jogged back. "General Blackwell, the SPARTAN is telling the truth. There are massive metallic walls down there."

"Now that we've got that out of the way, I would ask that you allow me to continue my investigation of these ruins." Ivan said, hating the diplomatic tone he was forced to take up. All he wanted, in a very small and vocal portion of his mind, was to knock the scowl right off the General's face.

"I'm sure you wouldn't mind my men accompanying you into the ruins." The General stated, as if it were fact. "This is our kingdom, we have the right to ensure the safety of our people."

"Let him accompany you." Thorne said, nearly startling Ivan. "It'll keep his mouth shut for a while. I'm already getting bitched at by the Mistral Council, and they're asking the same thing. Arrest them if they tamper with anything, however."

Ivan sighed. "You're cleared to send some of your men down with mine. However, you have no knowledge of the dangers of Forerunner technology. Should you or any of your men tamper with the relics found in these ruins, I will be forced to arrest you under the authority of the UNSC Office of Naval Intelligence. That is non-negotiable."

"Very well, SPARTAN." General Blackwell responded. "I will join you, personally."

"That's fine." Ivan said. "Now, if you wouldn't mind ordering your airship to begin a holding pattern around the mountain range? I have Pelicans that need to land."

XXXXX

 **January 25, 2683; 2041 Hours**

 **Remnant, Atlas**

Weiss glanced over to her new Scroll, which was quietly playing an Atlesian News station on its screen. It had been about a week since she had Klein help her get a new Scroll without her father knowing, and it was _so_ nice to have something without her father's express knowledge and control over it. She had been working on this song for the better part of two days now, and the light hum in the background served as a good distraction if she found herself stuck. It very quickly caught her attention, however.

 _This just in from Mistral: numerous independent and state-run groups have reported sighting a massive movement from the UNSC's largest military facility on the continent. Large squadrons of Broadsword Fighters and Pelicans have been seen leaving Camp Vorbeck in the past twenty minutes. There are unconfirmed reports that the UNSC has deployed units from their orbital stations into Mistral's Va'ale Mountain Range, as well as reports of a small column of UNSC military forces passing through a small village on the outside of the city near this mountain range._

 _Video footage of a convoy of seven Warthogs carrying what appeared to be Orbital Drop Shock Troopers and two SPARTAN-IVs has emerged from this same village. It is unconfirmed, but eyewitness reports suggest that the Pelican dropships departing from Camp Vorbeck are bearing down on the Mountain Range, and are carrying what appears to be Scorpion tanks, Mantis walkers, Cobra anti-armor platforms, Wolverine SAM platforms, and previously never-before-seen vehicles. We will keep you posted on this story as it develops._

Weiss watched as the news anchor's face was replaced by a shaky video recorded on a Scroll. It showed the convoy of Warthogs passing through the small village, and seemed to focus on the lead vehicle for a time. She saw an ODST driving the vehicle, while a SPARTAN in stark white armor manned the Gauss cannon on the back. A familiar set of Helljumper-pattern MJOLNIR sat in the passenger's seat. Weiss immediately knew it was Ivan. She had no idea who the second SPARTAN was, however. She just assumed it was a new addition to Ivan's team.

Without a moment's hesitation, she grabbed her Scroll from where she had it propped up against a stack of books and flipped it over. She opened up the number pad, and typed out Ivan's number. She was taking a _huge_ risk here. Her father had the nasty habit of barging in unannounced, but she was willing to risk it for this.

XXXXX

 **January 25, 2683; 2054 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Firebase Echo)**

Ivan directed the Cobra railgun artillery piece to lock down at the mouth of the clearing, fully securing the small meadow that Firebase Echo had come to call home for the past thirty minutes. The perimeter was secured by two Cobras, locked down at the mouth of the clearing, four Rhino Plasma Artillery tanks locked down around the Firebase, a group of six MANTIS Mechs that were patrolling around the perimeter, four Hornet Attack VTOLs that were circling the base, a single Vulture Assault VTOL, an armored column of two Grizzly Super-Heavy tanks, four Scorpion-II MBTs, and two Gremlin Directed EMP Vehicles. There were well over two hundred Marines and seventy five ODSTs that had been dispatched to the Firebase, as well.

The Defensive Turrets surrounding the Firebase were on a constant swivel, keeping their quad-autocannons trained outwards and scanning the skies with SAM pods. It would take a veritable army to take this base down, and still Ivan had a feeling of unease in his stomach. Winter was off directing a small group of Combat Engineers as they worked to attach the treads to the drive wheels of a Scorpion-II, The Huntsmen were off by the deployed Barracks, checking their weapons and gathering any needed supplies from the nearby Field Armory. The Mistral soldiers had set up a small camp just outside the Firebase as well, and General Blackwell was currently discussing with his men.

Ivan was so engrossed in his directing of the UNSC soldiers that he nearly jumped out of his own armor when his communicator pinged in his ear. His HUD displayed it as being from an unknown number. He considered not answering for a moment, but eventually decided to answer it and just cut the line if it wasn't _extremely_ important. "This is Chesnokov, go ahead." Ivan said.

"Ivan?" A voice asked, Ivan immediately recognizing it as belonging to Weiss. "It's me, Weiss."

"Weiss?" He asked, surprised. "Here I was thinking you'd lost my number. What's up with the new number?"

"I wanted to be able to talk to people without Father breathing down my neck. Do you know anything about a giant movement of UNSC towards the mountains just south of Mistral?" Weiss asked, being forward as usual.

"I'm sorry Weiss, that's classified." Ivan said.

"So you do know, but you can't tell me?" Weiss asked.

"Pretty much." Ivan responded, smirking behind his helmet.

"Is everything okay?" Weiss asked. "Are Yang, Blake, and Ruby there?"

"They're all checking their equipment." Ivan responded. "We'll be fine. We're not in any danger." Ivan didn't believe himself, but he certainly hoped that Weiss would.

"Are you sure?" Weiss asked, genuine concern in her voice.

"Honestly, Weiss… we'll be fine." Ivan said, turning and making his way towards Winter and her group of Combat Engineers.

"Okay…" Weiss responded, sounding almost… sad.

"Weiss… I know you want to come help us out down here, but I'm actually not allowed to let any civilians in here." Ivan explained. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't be…" Weiss said. "You're just doing your job."

"To make it up to you, I'll see what I can do about coming by at some point soon." Ivan offered. "I know Ruby wants to see you, and you've been out of touch with me and Winter for the past six freaking months."

Weiss seemed to pause for a moment. "I… I don't know if my father would even let you in, to be honest."

"Shit…" Ivan said, sighing. "Want me to put any of them on so you can at least talk with them?"

"I… I shouldn't be taking up any of your time. You're busy."

"Weiss, it's no big deal." Ivan said. "They all miss you."

"I shouldn't… I should probably go." Weiss said.

"Jacques?" Ivan asked. Weiss hummed in affirmative, earning a sigh from Ivan. "Weiss… you know if you need anything, we're here for you."

"Thanks, Ivan…" Weiss said, sounding slightly less-somber. "I'll let you get back to it."

"Alright… seeya' soon, Weiss." Ivan said, quickly adding something to that. "And call your sister for Christ's sake, she's been trying to get through to you for the past six months!"

Weiss let out a soft laugh. "I'll be sure to give her a call. You'd better be treating her right, Chesnokov."

"Only the best for the eldest Schnee princess." Ivan said, grinning as he saw Winter's acute hearing pick up the conversation he was having. He could tell quite clearly that she was glaring at him from behind her visor.

"Good… She'll tell me everything." Weiss threatened.

Ivan chuckled. "Good night, Weiss… Good luck."

"You too, Ivan." Weiss said, hanging up after a moment of hesitation.

Ivan sighed as he pulled his helmet off, tucking it under the crook of his arm as he walked towards Winter. Winter pulled her own helmet off, giving him a questioning look. "Weiss." Ivan responded, knocking his knuckle against his helmet.

"Wait, she called you?" Winter asked.

"Yep, wanted to see if I knew anything about the mobilization." Ivan answered. "She got a new Scroll, apparently. Jacques' been breathing down her neck."

"What'd you tell her?"

"Classified."

"What you told her is classified, or you told her that it was classified?" Winter asked.

"Yes." Ivan answered, grinning.

Winter rolled her eyes, playfully punching his shoulder. "Idiot."

Ivan smiled, rubbing his shoulder in mock pain, earning a laugh from Winter, which earned a laugh from Ivan. After a few moments, both of them settled into a solemn silence. "Are we ready to move?" Winter asked, nodding towards the hole containing the Forerunner construct.

"As ready as we can be." Ivan answered, looking towards the group of Huntsmen gathered around a few supply crates, sitting around. They appeared to be planning and discussing. "I hope to God that this is just a Promethean or Sentinel facility…" Ivan said. "They shouldn't ever have to face the Flood."

"I agree, but we have to be prepared." Winter said, a grim look on her face. "It's a real threat when dealing with Forerunner ruins. Remember what the SPARTAN DIs said? Prepared for the worst?"

"Always be at your best." Ivan finished, grinning. "I know… Let's get this show on the road." Ivan pressed a hand to his ear, linking his communicator with the base-wide PA system. " _All personnel to Combat Alert Alpha, Task Force November form up on me, we're going in._ "


	27. Chapter 27: The Discordant Cartographer

**Chapter 27: The Discordant Cartographer**

 **January 25, 2683; 2101 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Forerunner Ruins)**

Task Force November descended the ramp into the open cavern of the Forerunner relic. Two hundred Marines, seventy five ODSTs, six SPARTAN IVs, Teams CFVY, JNPR, and RBY, and a vast array of UNSC ground vehicles were under the command of SPARTAN Chesnokov. There were four Scorpion-II MBTs, three chaingun Warthogs, three Gauss Warthogs, two Gremlins, two Mantis combat exoskeletons, and even the highly advanced Scorpion-IIb, a Scorpion Tank sporting a directed plasma cannon in place of its main gun. Ivan's SPARTAN fireteam was even sent to join them at the last possible moment, upon Ivan's personal request for more SPARTAN reinforcements.

The Huntresses had noticed something odd about these UNSC troops in particular. Every one of them behaved vastly different from the on-base ones that they had interacted with, they even looked different. All of their armor, even the Marines, was a midnight black with a fully-tinted visor. Every one of them, even the deployed vehicles, all sported patches of the Office of Naval Intelligence. They were not working with the standard UNSC Military, they were dealing with something quite different, and far scarier. There was no pre-mission banter, no joking, no lighthearted conversation, just cold hard professionalism. Nobody spoke a word, all that could be heard was the roaring of vehicle engines and the sounds of marching boots.

As the column walked through the metallic cavern, blue accent lights lining the walls, they came to a stop at a large, ornate metal wall with lights dancing along the surface. Ivan walked towards a small panel resting to the side of the wall, placing his hand against the strange holographic projection. As his hand neared, the projected holographic sphere rotated before him, stopping just before his hand made contact. Five glyphs lit up at the tips of each of his fingers, followed by a strange hieroglyph appearing soon after.

After Ivan's hand made contact with the hologram, the entire wall began churning and grinding. After a moment, the wall retracted into the sides and top of the cavern, revealing the inside of the relic. The Huntresses and Huntsmen stood stunned as the full breadth of the relic was made visible to them. Before them stood a massive atrium, burrowed deep into the mountain and quite probably beneath it. All of the walls were a stunningly beautiful mix of silverite metal and blue lighting, all of it looking immaculate and dust-free, even after millennia without use.

The Huntsmen were stunned as a trio of strange-looking floating constructs descended from the ceiling. They looked like floating metal drones with three articulated arms all branching out from a central body. From a glowing blue central eye, an orange beam was emitted, scanning over the mass of entering Humans and Faunus. Ruby, Coco, Yang, Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha prepared their weapons once the beams were projected, earning a bark from a few of the SPARTANs. "Weapons down!" Ivan called over all others. "The Sentinels are passive, they're not going to hurt us unless we start something."

"What're they doing?" Yang asked, staring at the constructs, perplexed. A Sentinel drifted towards her, cocking to the side slightly as it examined her without making use of its Hard Light Scanning Array. It bleeped a few times before moving along.

"Scanning and analyzing us." Ivan responded. "Making sure we're Human or Forerunner."

"They know not to attack Humans?" Blake asked, looking at the Sentinel that had just beeped at Yang. "What about Faunus?"

"Faunus are close enough, genetically, that they are simply considered Humans." Ivan half-lied. "They know not to attack us because we're the Reclaimers."

"Reclaimers?" Jaune asked.

"Humans are meant to inherit the Forerunner Empire." Ivan responded, holding out his hand for a Sentinel to scan. He had removed his metallic gauntlet, as well as the gel-layer glove. He let the Sentinel scan exposed skin. "All of this was left for us."

As the Sentinel scanned over Ivan's exposed palm with its scanner array, it let out a series of rapid beeps, bleeps, and ticks. The commotion drew all of the Sentinels within the immediate area, all fifteen of them, to him. All of them began crowding around him, frantically attempting to scan his hand. They were all beeping rather frantically. "They're so _cute_!" Ruby exclaimed, watching the Sentinels practically pile on top of each other to scan the SPARTAN. "What're they doing now?"

"They've recognized me as a Forerunner!" Ivan called out over the assaulting Sentinels. "Genetic Imprint, remember?"

"Can we keep one?" Ruby asked, making her way towards the front of the formation alongside the rest of the Huntsmen.

Ivan actually let out a soft chuckle. "I mean… theoretically, I could. They've recognized me as a High Admiral of the Forerunner Ecumene. I could give them orders."

"Can you order one to come with us?" Ruby asked, hopeful.

"We'll see." Ivan said, turning to the Sentinels that had arranged themselves in a rather organized fashion in front of the column. They didn't seem to care that there were several massive tank cannons pointed at them. "Resume standard facility patrol patterns." Ivan ordered. At his words, all of the Sentinels bleeped in acknowledgement and floated off.

"Can you understand them?" Blake asked.

"Yep." Ivan responded. "They're not fully sentient, barely smarter than your average infant child, so they can really only take orders, acknowledge them, and report things. They've reported this facility secure."

"And they're soon to be property of the Mistral Government." General Blackwell said, dismounting the Warthog he was permitted, by Ivan, to ride in.

"They will be the 'property' of the Office of Naval Intelligence unless we deem otherwise, General." Ivan rebuked. "You are here merely as an observer, I urge you to keep that in mind."

"Are you giving me orders, Colonel?" The General asked.

"Did we not go over this?" Ivan asked. "This is a UNSC Military Operation under the directive of the President himself. You have absolutely no authority here; you're only here because my commanding officers prefer me being bitched at by a Mistralian General as opposed to the President getting bitched at by the Mistral Council." Ivan let out a sigh. "Now General, if you have any further complaints, please feel free to take it up with ONI's Complaints Department." Ivan thumbed a gesture towards the Scorpion-IIb's main gun.

"I was ordered by the Mistral Council to investigate _illegal_ UNSC Operations in the Va'ale Mountain Range." The General said, emphasizing "Illegal", much to Ivan's irritation.

"And I'm under orders by the President of the United Earth Government to arrest uppity Generals that interfere with UNSC operations." Ivan deadpanned, locking his metallic gauntlet back into place. "Need I remind you that your authority means nothing to ONI?"

"To think we signed a treaty with you aliens…" The General said, moving to rejoin his men near the back of the column.

"Take that up with your government; they signed the Treaty after all." Ivan responded, shaking his head.

At that, all of the ODSTs, Marines, and vehicles seemed to relax a bit, some even chuckling as the General walked off with his tail between his legs. "Your orders, Colonel?" The Omega Team Sniper, Mary, asked from his position atop a transport Warthog's canopy.

"Secure this atrium; I want reports on any changes in Sentinel behavior the instant you spot them!" Ivan ordered.

"And us?" Ruby asked.

"Sit tight." Ivan said. "I've got some work to do with Thorne."

XXXXX

 **January 25, 2683; 2113 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Forerunner Ruins)**

Ivan stepped through one of the many doors of the Atrium, Winter joining him. They were greeted by a long hallway, leading into various other rooms. "Any idea what this facility is for?" Winter asked.

"None…" Ivan said. "Even Soleia said it doesn't exist on records anywhere in the Domain."

"Is that bad?" Winter asked, walking alongside Ivan.

"Not necessarily." Ivan said, moving towards the nearest door. "It is a bit concerning, though. The Forerunners kept meticulous records of every facility in every corner of space. I can't think of any facility we've found before that _didn't_ exist on-record somewhere."

"Other than the Rings." Winter said.

"Other than the Rings." Ivan affirmed. "But those had a legitimate reason to be off the record. If the Flood discovered them too early, we'd all be a disgusting pile of biomass right now."

"True enough." Winter responded, following Ivan through the first door.

As the two SPARTANs stepped through, they were greeted by a truly strange sight. The room itself was huge, and sported a few observation windows. The room, otherwise, was completely devoid of furniture or electronics, save small pedestals just beneath each window. As Ivan approached the first and nearest window and looked through the transparent silicate, he saw a large pack of Beowolves, all of them stuck in a locked observation room. Ivan recognized this room as one that Flood specimens would be kept in. "What the hell?" Ivan asked, looking down at the Beowolves in confusion.

"There's a few Boarbatusks in here." Winter said, gesturing to the next window over.

"Alright…" Ivan said, walking to the third window. "Now there's a Nevermore… were the Forerunners studying the Grimm? That's how long they've been here?"

"I'd assume so." Winter said. "And… there's a King Taiju."

Ivan let his semblance forth, calling his helmet into existence on the floor. "Soleia." Ivan said, prompting his helmet to connect with the Forerunner Relic's internal Hard Light Projection network. Soleia appeared next to Ivan, a life-sized and natural looking replication of her in Hard Light.

"Yes, SPARTAN?" She asked.

"As well-versed as I am in Forerunner technology, would you mind telling me what they were doing here?" Ivan asked, gesturing to the display ports.

Soleia walked over, peering through the window. "Studying the Grimm, obviously."

"Oh, thanks, I couldn't tell that by looking." Ivan said. "What have they found?"

"You can't read the script on the pedestals?" Soleia asked.

"I can make out some of it, but I'm not fluent yet. Still learning from Echo." Ivan answered. "Mostly just references to scientists is what I can decipher."

Soleia walked over to the pedestal assigned to studying the Beowolves, placing her hand against the holographic interface. After a moment of examining the data, she turned to Ivan with a grim look on her face. "What is it?" Winter asked, seeing the look.

"The Forerunners were studying the Grimm for connections to the Flood." Soleia explained. At her words, Ivan's blood ran cold.

"And…?" Ivan asked.

"They believe the Flood and the Grimm to be related to one another in some way." Soleia said, her voice somber.

Behind his visor, Ivan's eyes widened. "How?! What?!"

"They believe the Flood and the Grimm to share an origin… the Precursors." Soleia explained.

"The Precursors?" Ivan asked. "I thought they were a myth."

"Far from it." Soleia explained. "The Precursors breathed life into this Galaxy, and potentially all of space. They are the only Tier 0 species that has ever been observed… and they are responsible for the Flood."

"Why would they create something like the Flood?" Winter asked, stunned.

"It was an accident." Soleia explained. "They... quite literally reduced themselves to a self-replicating dust that could preserve them over eons. Sadly, a few examples of this dust became corrupted, leading to the onset of madness."

"An all-knowing being going mad?" Ivan asked. "Oh shit… I think I can see where this is going."

"An all-knowing being that has just become an all-consuming parasite through intense genetic mutation." Soleia corrected. "It would seem that one such example led to the creation of the Flood… and another example created the Grimm."

"What happened to the Precursors?" Winter asked.

"Most were exterminated by the Forerunners when they learned that the True Mantle would be passed onto Humanity instead of the Forerunners." Soleia explained. "Some escaped into a micro-galaxy orbiting our own. And it would appear that some made their way here, to Remnant."

"They came here?" Winter asked.

"One came here… and became Dust." Soleia explained. "The very Dust that has allowed Human and Faunus alike to combat the Grimm. It seems that even in death, some Precursors sought to help Humanity ascend. That is why Dust behaves the way it does, seeming to defy all known laws of physics and reality… because it is quite literally the by-product of a creature that _could_ defy the very laws of the universe."

"Jesus Christ almighty…" Ivan muttered, sighing. "Every time I talk with you, my very understanding of the universe is shaken to its core… why didn't you tell me this before?"

"You didn't ask… and it wasn't relevant to the situation." Soleia defended. "I had assumed that Humanity had knowledge of the tale of the Precursors."

"We did… we just had no idea they were actually responsible for nearly destroying all life in the galaxy."

"Well, I believe this facility has some data on both the Grimm and Dust that the UNSC might find interesting." Soleia said, changing the subject. "I'll download it to a drive."

"Thank you…" Ivan said, watching the data transfer taking place from his HUD. "Is there any way to get rid of those Grimm down there?"

"I can initiate the Neutron Purge." Soleia said.

"Do it." Ivan responded with a nod.

"Done." Soleia said as a bright flash blinked into existence through all of the viewports, leaving all of the Grimm specimens dead.

"Are there any other areas of the facility we should be concerned with?" Winter asked.

"There is the Cartographer." Soleia said, walking towards a door. "I cannot access it… that is for you to do."

XXXXX

 **January 25, 2683; 2156 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Forerunner Ruins)**

Yang sighed, sitting on the tread cover of an idling Scorpion in the same area as the rest of the group of Huntsmen. "Where are they?" She asked, looking around.

"They said it was important." Blake shrugged. "I doubt they'd let us know, anyways."

Yang huffed, looking around to the ONI personnel that were scattered throughout the ruin. Some were taking pictures of the ruin, some were checking holographic consoles, some were investigating the Sentinels, and others were walking to and from various doors in the area.

She looked up, spotting more of those Forerunner constructs that she had become familiar with over the last thirty minutes. These small ones that were floating about, shaped almost like keys mixed with a curved knife, were Constructors. They seemed to be the maintenance for the facility, constantly fixing things. They also seemed rather… interested in the UNSC technology, some of them even fixing imperfections in the Scorpion's armor.

As she watched Ruby casually talking with a Sentinel, smiling all the while, she noticed the pair of SPARTANs make their way back into the Atrium, Ivan carrying his helmet in the crook of his arm. "Ivan!" She shouted, catching everyone's attention.

Ivan made his way over, Winter by his side. "Yang…" Ivan said. "What's up?"

"Did you find anything?" She asked.

"Not exactly what we were expecting… but it's cleared up a lot." Ivan said. "Come with me, everyone… It's time I told you what's going on… everything, this time."

"Does that include the General?" Pyrrha asked.

"Oh fuck no." Ivan said, scoffing. "Unless Thorne tells me otherwise, he won't know shit. Now, c'mon." Ivan nodded his head towards the furthest door, beckoning everyone to follow.

After passing through the door, they were left walking down a rather long hallway, then a few downwards ramps. As they progressed through the wide hallways, they eventually made way for a large, cylindrical room with a transparent platform suspended in the middle. There did not appear to be any way to cross over to the platform.

Ivan proved all of the Huntsmen wrong as he walked to a small holographic pedestal. He placed his hand against it, causing the projection to let out a soft series of pings before fading away. A bridge of blue hard light materialized between the two platforms, giving them a clear passageway to the central platform.

Ivan approached the central platform, watching as the small Constructors floated about the facility, seeming to regard him and his company with indifference. As they reached the central platform, they noted that it had a massive central construct of some kind, with a blue beam of light piercing through the center and heading off somewhere into the ceiling. There were a massive number of holographic controls on the face of the metal centerpiece, all with the same glyph-based Forerunner language.

Ivan turned to everyone, seeing them all eyeing the Cartographer room with a sense of awe. It was massive, as large as the central atrium, and seemed to descend forever into the very crust of the planet. Every surface emanated a fluorescent blue glow, and everything seemed ethereal in nature. He spoke up, catching everyone's attention. "Alright… I talked with Thorne, and he's given me permission to brief all of you on what's going on… in full."

Everyone's ears perked at that, all of the eyes in the room turning to Ivan and Winter. "You're all already familiar with the Forerunners, so there isn't much we need to share with you about that." Winter said, removing her own helmet.

"Is this about that worst case scenario you guys were talking about?" Blake asked.

"Indeed." Ivan said, nodding. "Luckily, that scenario, being the existence of the Flood here on Remnant, is not a threat."

"The Flood?" Ruby asked.

"A parasitic life form, made almost entirely of once-sentient biomass." Ivan explained. "It is a spore-based parasite, capable of completely overwriting a host's genetic information in seconds. A single Flood Spore can exterminate a species, and it has dozens of times."

"And it's just sitting around?!" Yang asked.

"No, not exactly." Ivan assured. "The Forerunners studied the Flood with the intent to wipe it out, and they nearly succeeded. There is one issue, some of the research facilities they devoted to the Flood remained intact, along with the specimens. Occasionally… these containment procedures fail. That's what the Sentinels are for. Their beam weapons completely atomize biological matter."

"Are there any of these places here?" Pyrrha asked.

"That'd, thankfully, be a no." Ivan said, turning around and placing his hand against a holographic module on the display. The same rune from when they entered the facility appeared before his eyes, and a projection of Remnant appeared, with twelve locations all highlighted throughout the continent containing Mistral, and four in Vale. Two had the Forerunner Glyph representing Prometheans, two for The Domain, and eight showed the general symbol for Forerunners. The four in Vale represented Forerunners. "This facility is not just any Forerunner Installation… it's a Cartographer."

"A Cartographer?" Jaune asked. "Like maps?"

"Exactly." Ivan said, gesturing to the projection of Remnant. "Sadly, this Cartographer's data is slightly corrupted. It only displays the locations of a few facilities, namely ones in Mistral and Vale. Vacuo and Atlas are not represented here." Ivan pointed to one of the glyphs for Prometheans. "That is the Forerunner Glyph for Prometheans, those metal androids you've all seen me call upon every now and again. That symbol means there is another facility dedicated to either the production of new Promethean bodies, or a facility dedicated to storing them."

Ivan pointed to the symbol for The Domain. "That is the Glyph for The Domain, a massive galaxy-wide Forerunner Information Network, all located in Slipspace. It is the complete record of all of Forerunner civilization, all the way back to their discovery of writing. I think you can imagine why that'd be important."

"And those?" Ruby asked, pointing to the symbol for Forerunners.

"That just represents the Forerunners." Ivan explained. "Those facilities are most likely just government buildings, old cities, or dedicated research stations much like this one. Thankfully, there are no markers for the Flood."

"There's some in Vale!" Ruby pointed out.

"The UNSC is already aware of those, and they've already been investigated." Winter said. "All benign facilities."

"What would happen if there were any markers for the Flood?" Coco asked, studying the map rather intently.

"The UNSC would enter into a full mobilization and purge the facility." Ivan explained. "Nuclear weapons would likely be involved."

"Is that the UNSC's usual response?" Blake asked, horrified at the mention of nukes. Nuclear weapons had long ago been deemed unfit for use by all of Remnant's kingdoms.

"No…" Ivan said. "Our general response is to glass the planet." Everyone looked at him incredulously, hearing that the UNSC would render an entire planet uninhabitable. "Remnant is a different case, since it houses far more than a simple colony. There are four billion people on this planet, we could never rationalize evacuating and relocating the entire populace. Conventional warfare against the Flood would be our only option here."

"What about other planets?" Nora asked.

"We run in-depth scans over the entire planet before we colonize any garden world." Ivan explained. "We would know of any Flood presence before the first boots touched the ground."

"Did you not do that here?" Velvet asked.

"We tried." Ivan said. "We experienced massive interference, courtesy of this planet's saving grace, Dust. And now we know why." Ivan pulled a Dust crystal from his combat harness, holding the red object out in his hand. "Dust is not a natural occurrence as you would understand it. It's the by-product of a dying creature known as a Precursor."

"The Precursors, quite literally, breathed life into this galaxy." Winter explained, seeing everyone's confused look. "They, as we would know them if we were not more educated on the matter, would be what we know as gods. Humans, along with the Forerunners, are the direct creations of the Precursors, according to Forerunner historical records."

Everyone stood dumbstruck, hearing this information. Ivan realized just how much their reaction mirrored his own when he had this revealed to him. "W-What?" Ruby asked, looking visibly shaken by the revelation. "What happened to them?"

"The Forerunners exterminated the Precursors." Ivan explained. "A few of the surviving Precursors managed to preserve their consciousness in the form of a self-replicating dust. Some of them, due to being in this form of stasis for so long, went insane. One re-formed into a massive collection of biological material, forming the first Gravemind, or the hivemind of the Flood. Two more found a home here on Remnant. One reformed into the first creature of Grimm, the other broke itself down, scattering itself all over the planet, creating Dust."

"This is the rough, overall explanation." Ivan continued. "I'll tell you the rest when I have more time, and when we're not in the middle of a Forerunner ruin." Ivan looked at everyone's dumbfounded expressions. "You all alright?" He asked. "I know it's a _lot_ to process, so if you've got any questions, you can feel free to ask me."

After a moment, everyone nodded their heads. Ivan smiled, rather grimly. "Sorry that you had to learn about it this way, and that I had to drop it all on you so suddenly, but my choices are a bit limited. You're standing in a Forerunner ruin, you didn't know anything about why the UNSC practically moved a full division to secure this place, and you all had questions, I could see that…" He sighed, running a hand through his short hair. "As I'm sure you can all imagine, this is all at one of the highest levels of classification. Thorne won't make you guys go through all of the NDA paperwork that's involved with knowing all of this, he and I both trust that all of you can keep this on the down-low."

"Why tell us now?" Blake asked. "Why not just keep it a secret and avoid all this? Why was it so important?"

Ivan began again. "Because we have Faunus with us." Ivan said. "And Forerunner ruins are only accessible to Humans, the Forerunners ensured that." Ivan gestured to the symbol that popped up on the holographic console, the symbol for Reclaimer. "That's the symbol for Reclaimer… for us."

"Us?" Blake asked.

"Humans and Faunus, apparently." Ivan said. "Faunus are the apparent genetic cousins of Humans, created by the Forerunners after our defeat in a war over a hundred twenty thousand years ago."

"The Forerunners created the Faunus?" Blake asked, stunned. "Why?"

"In a way." Ivan explained. "For all intents and purposes, your DNA is almost entirely Human. The Forerunners altered a fraction of a percent of it… As for the why… that's because they wanted mankind divided." Ivan tapped the console with his fingers. "The Forerunners created over thirty sub-species of Humans, all to make sure we did not unite as we did all those millennia ago. The Faunus were one of the lucky two to survive."

"Why did that matter?" Blake asked again. "Why is that important now?"

"Because, if you haven't noticed, there's a suspicious lack of White Fang corpses around here." Ivan gestured to the ruin's walls. "And I really doubt the White Fang only had a few guys out here, looking around what is quite possibly the most important scientific facility on the planet. The White Fang knows about these other facilities, Thorne and I are sure about that." Ivan pointed to the projection of Remnant. "I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this?"

"The White Fang know where Forerunner artifacts are…" Blake finished, her eyes widening.

"And Thorne wants us to deal with it." Ivan said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I will fully understand if any of you want no part in this operation anymore, but this is our best shot at finding Cinder and Taurus. Any one of you, as of right now, have the ability to walk away. I cannot ask any of you to go spelunking through ancient ruins, that's a job that ONI can do, a job that we have been doing for almost two centuries."

All of the Huntsmen shared glances for a moment, then a few grins and nods broke out. "You think we'd just leave you like that?" Nora asked, almost sounding offended at the implication. "You asked us to be here, and we're staying."

"You can count us in, too." Coco said, nodding.

"You know our answer." Jaune said, earning nods from his teammates.

Ivan turned to team RBY, earning a cocked eyebrow from Ruby. "Are you kidding?" The short Huntress asked. "What do you think? Of course we're staying."

Ivan smiled. "Then I'm glad you're all along for the ride." Ivan pulled a small storage drive from his combat harness, slotting it into the Forerunner console. After a moment, he yanked the small chip out and slid it back into his harness. "Now c'mon, we've got eleven more of these things to scour. No time to waste."

XXXXX

 **January 30, 2683; 1247 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Ivan stepped out of the MJOLNIR Removal Apparatus, relishing being free of the powered armor. In the Armory with him was Winter, standing there in her Gel Layer suit as she cleaned her Battle Rifle. Ren was placing his machine pistols back into their proper places on the weapons rack, and Pyrrha was helping Jaune fix a dent in his armor from a Crawler's bite.

The ragtag team of Huntsmen, for the first time, had an encounter with the Prometheans not long after they cleared the first ruin in Mistral. Ever since, they had become rather effective at fighting the armigers, but incidents still happened. Blake very nearly had Gambol Shroud shattered by a Promethean Knight, Jaune's armor had taken a beating from a small horde of Crawlers, and Coco very nearly had to build a completely new weapon after an incident with a Promethean Soldier with a Binary Rifle. After the first encounter with them, Ivan had decided to run everyone through a few War Games involving the Prometheans.

They had just finished clearing the last of the 12 known ruins in Mistral, much to the dismay of the local government. That irritating General followed them everywhere as an "advisor", and had been a constant irritant for Ivan. Much to the SPARTAN's dismay, they seemed no closer to finding Cinder or Taurus. They did, however, manage to capture a few White Fang lieutenants for interrogation by ONI. All that was left to do now was wait.

As he walked over to Winter, the ivory-haired SPARTAN sent him a quick smile as she slotted the Battle Rifle's barrel back into place. "Did you get that energy bayonet working?" Ivan asked.

"Finally." Winter said, chuckling. "Quite possibly the worst time for it to give out." Winter said, making reference to her short, impromptu fistfight with a Soldier Captain. She locked the barrel back into place and stuck the rifle back onto the rack. "I'm quite alright though, nothing for you to worry about." She said, placing a quick kiss on Ivan's cheek.

Ivan smiled. "You are my responsibility, Lieutenant." He joked, pressing their lips together. "As good of a SPARTAN as you are, I've still got an obligation to fulfill."

"Hmm...? And what's that?" Winter asked, smiling.

"Make sure I've got something to come home to…"

"Fulfilled, for now." Winter said, slyly. She leaned up, placing a kiss on his cheek, and whispering. "We'll see how many more of your obligations to me you can fill later."

Despite his confidence, Winter still knew what buttons to push to effectively break the SPARTAN. She grinned, seeing the blush on his face. "Ah-" Ivan stuttered, taking a deep breath.

Winter laughed. "C'mon, let's go upstairs." She nodded towards the exit to the armory.

Ivan followed behind as they climbed the short staircase into the first floor of the on-base housing unit they were given. In the living room, Ruby and Blake were watching the news on the couch, Ren was making Nora pancakes in the kitchen, and Coco and Velvet were having a rather animated conversation. "Where'd Yang get off to?" Ivan asked, walking with Winter.

"She's in the garage." Ruby said. "Working on Bumblebee."

"Anything interesting?" Ivan asked, glancing over to the news broadcast.

"Nothing much…" Blake said, shrugging. "President's State of the Union was interesting. He actually mentioned Remnant."

"Really?" Ivan asked. "What'd he say?"

"He said something along the lines of: 'The UNSC will continue to stand by Remnant' and all that good stuff." Blake said. "Oh, and one of the representatives to the UEG Parliament is a Faunus."

"Hey, that's pretty cool." Ivan said. Ivan was slightly startled by an incoming communication through his neural implant. He saw it to be from Thorne, and immediately answered, pressing a hand to his ear. "Go ahead, Thorne." He said, causing everyone to turn their attention to him.

"Ivan, I need to talk to you and Winter in the conference room." Thorne said, his voice in its usual calm tone. "For now, this is just for the two of you to see."

"I'd imagine, otherwise you wouldn't have called me." Ivan said.

"Believe it or not, I have called my agents for social reasons before." Thorne joked, cutting the communication.

Ivan lowered his hand, turning to Winter. "Winter, Thorne wants to talk to us. Needs us in the conference room." Winter nodded in response.

"We'll come too!" Ruby declared, happily.

"Sorry Rubes, Thorne only wanted me and Winter." Ivan said, earning a dejected look from the Huntress. "For now, that is."

"We'll be right back down, guys." Winter said, smiling. "Now, c'mon, let's go." She said, pulling Ivan along.

After Winter yanked Ivan upstairs, and into the conference room, she started typing away on the small holographic interface on the table. After a moment, a holographic avatar of Thorne was projected from the center of the table. "Didn't take you as long as I thought it would." Thorne joked.

"You needed to talk with us?" Ivan asked.

"Indeed." Thorne said, clasping his hands behind his backs. "ONI's finished with the White Fang Lieutenant you captured in your last operation. Apparently, the data from the Cartographer was corrupted due to the White Fang making a copy without knowing what the hell they were doing." Thorne held out an optical storage drive. "Made a copy for himself in case he wanted to cut and run, thought he could use it as a bargaining chip." Thorne chuckled. "Lot of good that's doing him in the retention station."

Thorne shook his head. "Anyways, I want you to tell me what you see wrong with this picture here." Thorne slotted the OSD into an invisible console, causing his projection to be replaced by the completed hologram from the Cartographer. There were notably fewer facilities located in Vacuo and Atlas, with only three in Vacuo and two in Atlas. The three in Vacuo had the general glyph for Forerunners, while on in Atlas had the glyph for Prometheans, and the other had a glyph for The Domain.

As Ivan looked over all of the facilities in Vacuo, nothing caught his eye. All three were located deep in the desert, completely distant from any civilization. As he looked over to the first one in Atlas, the one representing the Domain, it was benign as well. Located deep in a mountain range, hundreds of kilometers away from the nearest town. As he looked to the Promethean facility, everything fell into place. It was directly on top of Atlas, the city of Atlas. "Well, shit." Ivan said.

"'Well, shit' indeed, SPARTAN." Thorne said, crossing his arms. "And this gave me a few ideas… have you ever taken a good, long look at Atlesian Military tech, and noticed how advanced it is? Like, advanced beyond the rest of this planet, and arguably the UEG when it comes to autonomous robotics?"

"You're gotta be kidding me…" Ivan said, sighing. "Atlas is hiding Forerunner Tech? Reverse-engineering it?"

"Indeed." Thorne said. "Even look at the basic designs." Thorne's projection of Remnant switched over to the depiction of an Atlesian Paladin. "What Promethean Armiger looks _really_ goddamned similar to this?"

Winter stared at the projection, incredulously. "You think Atlas is basing their tech off of Prometheans?" She asked.

"Given how similar this thing is in form and function to a Promethean Knight, it's not out of the question." Thorne said, reappearing as his avatar. "Even the Atlesian Knight, they look mighty similar to a Promethean Soldier if you take away all of the floating bits. I even had R&D put a deactivated Soldier next to a deactivated Knight, put them together, and compare the internal circuitry and servos… The Knight is awfully similar."

"Thorne…" Ivan began.

"Bear in mind, this isn't definitive proof." Thorne said, holding his hands out. "The Knight and the Soldier are both based off of Human anatomy, so this could just be a happy accident. For all we know, the Atlesian government could be completely oblivious to the existence of this facility."

"So why bring it up?" Ivan asked. "Unless you had definitive proof."

"I don't… but this is too big to simply ignore." Thorne said. "Think of it like this… What company works _very_ closely with Atlas to build almost all of their military assets?"

"The SDC…" Ivan said, running a hand through his hair. "That's a big accusation, Thorne."

"Indeed it is, and the longer I think about it, the more it makes sense." Thorne said, sighing. "You all saw Ironwood. I _still_ don't know if that guy's human or not! The UEG is nowhere _near_ that level of robotics!" Thorne sighed again, the room falling into silence for a few moments.

"Winter, you're awfully quiet." Ivan said, looking over to the other SPARTAN.

"My father might be breaking one of the highest laws in the UEG…" Winter said, shaking her head. "He might be messing with Prometheans while my sister is in Atlas… you can imagine why I'm a bit concerned."

"All the more reason why I contacted you." Thorne said. "This needs to be investigated immediately. Luckily, we can do that." Thorne seemed to glance off for a moment. "Lucky for us, the Schnee Dust Company is holding a charity concert to raise funds for Vale. I just so happen to have more than a few extra invitations."

"Has this been shared with General Ironwood?" Ivan asked.

"Negative." Thorne said. "Ironwood's a close friend to Jacques Schnee. I can't trust him to keep operational security while our investigation is taking place." Ivan nodded. "You, Lieutenant Schnee and Team RWBY will be attending the Charity Concert as guests. You'll be in Atlas for a week after the event, working with ONI Agents on the ground to see it through."

"Any limitations on our gear, Thorne?" Ivan asked.

"Firstly, you're not going to be in MJOLNIR for this, you're going to be in full dress." Thorne explained. "Nothing bigger than an SMG, and you'll have limited support. I can't have a firefight go down in the middle of Atlas."

"When do we leave?" Winter asked.

"Tomorrow morning." Thorne said. "I want all of you on your _best_ behavior. You two will keep this part of the operation to yourselves. All Yang, Ruby, and Blake need to know is that they're visiting a friend."

"Understood, we'll be ready." Ivan said, nodding.

"I'd expect nothing less." Thorne said, a small smile betraying his otherwise neutral expression. "I'll forward all of the other mission data to you."

XXXXX

 **February 1, 2683; 0900 Hours**

 **Remnant, Atlas (Wilhelm Schnee Concert Hall)**

Weiss sucked in a deep breath as she stepped out onto the stage. The mass of spectators had fallen silent as the lights in the massive amphitheater dimmed; only shining on the stage. As she looked out, she could make out the dimly-lit faces all looking to her expectantly. Members of Atlas' Council, her father's business partners, the wealthy and elite from all corners of Remnant, even a few people with the distinct UNSC Dress Uniform; all of them had gathered here to watch her. There were too many to count, but she recognized a few of the faces.

She saw Ironwood joined by a few others in UNSC uniforms, Admiral Bishop, and even a few Sangheili sitting in the crowd. Even seated, their immense forms towered over the Humans around them.

She heard the piano situated behind the curtain begin its gentle melody. She waited until the proper note, then began her song. The song she had worked so tirelessly to craft for _this_ very moment.

 _"_ _Mirror… can you hear me?_

 _Do I… reach you?_

 _Are you… even listening?_

 _Can I… get through?"_

 _"_ _There's a part of me that's desperate for changes._

 _Tired of being treated like a pawn._

 _But there's a part of me that stares back_

 _From inside the mirror._

 _Part of me that's scared I might be wrong"_

 _"_ _That I can't be strong."_

She took in a deep breath, her eyes closing as she vocalized along with the piano's increasing tempo.

 _"_ _I'm not afraid, never standing on my own!_

 _I let you be the keeper of my pride!_

 _Believed you when you told me I was nothing on my own!_

 _Listen when I say, I swear it here today!_

 _I will not surrender, this life is mine!"_

She poured almost seven months of anger, frustration, and resentment into her singing. She didn't even need to look up to the booth to see that her father was not at all happy with this, but she no longer cared. This was just done not only to indirectly speak to her father, but herself. She was done being the pawn in his games. She was done being the servile daughter he had groomed her to be.

 _"_ _Amazing how you conquered me._

 _Chained me in servility, and made me see!_

 _The world the way you told me to,_

 _But I was young and didn't have a way to know the truth!"_

 _"_ _Born to live your legacy,_

 _Existing just to fill your needs._

 _A casualty!_

 _Of this so-called 'family' that you have turned into a travesty."_

 _"_ _But I don't intend to suffer any longer!_

 _Here's where your dominion falls apart!_

 _I'm shattering the mirror that kept me split in pieces._

 _That stood between my mind and my heart._

 _This is where I'll start!"_

As her voice traveled throughout the hall, the onlookers stared in wonder. This wasn't the first time she had performed for a large crowd, far from it. This was, however, the first time she had ever sang with such conviction, such honesty in her words. All of the songs she performed carried a personal weight to her, but this one was different. As she sang, it felt like the world's weight was lifted from her shoulders. Everything she had wanted to say for years was finally said, and it was liberating.

 _"_ _I'm not your pet,_

 _Not another thing you own!_

 _I was not born guilty of your crimes!_

 _Your riches and your influence can't hold me anymore!"_

 _"_ _I won't be possessed,_

 _Burdened by your royal test!_

 _I will not surrender, this life is mine!"_

As she continued, she had considered stopping here. She had said everything she needed to in order to finally remove the weight. When she caught sight of a certain young Huntress in the crowd, staring at her in wonder and bewilderment with bright silver eyes, she decided to continue. Ruby was that final push she needed to actually _finish_ the song… as she had written it. When she continued, the pianist faltered for a moment. He had expected the song to be over by now, but he recovered quickly enough.

 _"_ _Shame that it took so long to rescue me,_

 _From the guilt you used to tie me to your family tree!_

 _I guess your training failed, you're not in charge, I'm free!_

 _Your patriarchal prison won't hold me!"_

 _"_ _Now this conversation's finally over._

 _Mirror, mirror now we're done!_

 _I've pulled myself together now!_

 _My mind and heart are one!"_

 _"_ _Finally one!"_

 _"_ _I'm not your pet!_

 _Not another thing you own!_

 _I was not born guilty of your crimes!_

 _Your riches and your influence can't hold me any more!"_

 _"_ _I won't be possessed!_

 _Burdened by your royal test!_

 _I will not surrender,_

 _This life is mine!"_

As her work finally came to an end, the crashing crescendo of vocals signaling the end of her song, the audience sat awestruck. It was only for a few moments however, as she spotted Ruby stand up and start applauding. The rest of the audience joined her, cheering for her. Ruby's face was quickly blocked by the standing ovation, so she glanced up to her left. She spotted her father and Whitley sitting in the booth of the concert hall. Whitley was giving her a half-hearted applause, while her father simply glared down.

Weiss didn't realize it at the time, but a few tears had broken through her barrier and were now streaming down her cheeks.


	28. Chapter 28: Scattered Dust

**Chapter 28: Scattered Dust**

 **February 1, 2683; 1121 Hours**

 **Remnant, Atlas (Schnee Estate, Ballroom)**

Ivan stepped through the open door to the Schnee Estate's ballroom, seeing an ornately-decorated room painted in a bright, almost luminescent white. Paintings and statues dotted the room, with quite a hefty price tag attached to them. All of them were for sale, with all proceeds going to the ongoing reconstruction efforts in Vale. A few Atlesian Knights stood guard by the door, but they allowed him and the rest of his small group through with no issue. Winter walked alongside him while the rest of Team RBY followed closely behind the two. Admiral Bishop walked in front of them, as they were officially his guests.

Ivan and Winter were both clad in their gray and black Dress Blues, medals pinned to their chests and rank pinned to their shoulders and collars. Both were armed with an M6I2 Magnum, tucked securely into their retention holsters at their hips. The three Huntresses with them were all dressed formally, with Yang wearing the same white dress and pair of white heels she had worn to the dance over a year ago. Blake wore a simple black dress and heels, complimenting her bow quite nicely. Ruby wore a similarly simple red gown with a pair of black heels, doing rather well in the no-stumbling department.

"Her song was so beautiful!" Ruby gushed as she walked alongside Blake and Yang, who had their hands locked together.

"We know, Rubes." Yang smirked. "You've said that like, a hundred times now."

"That's because it's _true_!" Ruby retorted.

"What, did you expect anything less than perfect from my sister?" Winter craned her neck back to look to Ruby, a small smile on her face. She had certainly picked up on Ruby's… appreciation for Weiss' singing. She had even noted how quickly the young Huntress perked up at the mention of seeing Weiss. It _could_ be nothing… but what happened today would either make or break what she thought might be going on.

"No!" Ruby immediately defended herself. "It's just… I've never heard her sing before, and it was so good!" Winter offered a hum, satisfied by that response.

Ivan allowed himself a chuckle at the conversation. He almost instantly spotted the woman of the hour. She was stood beside Jacques as he talked with a small group of presumably wealthy people from here in Atlas. She kept her gaze almost permanently fixated on the floor. Ivan could faintly hear the conversation over the dull hum of the others in the room. "That's precisely my point!" Jacques smirked beneath his mustache. "We offer Faunus the exact same wages as the rest of our mining staff. Their argument's completely invalid right out of the gate." He chanced a glance over his shoulder, and it seemed Blake had picked up on that, too. She was tense, her free hand clenching down in barely-contained anger.

Everyone around Jacques, with the express exception of Weiss, laughed at almost everything he said. In an instant, Jacques' hand shot out from behind his back and wrapped around Weiss' arm as she attempted to turn and walk towards another area of the room. He couldn't hear the whispered words between the two, but the way Weiss flinched when he did it made his blood boil. "Just makes you _want_ to punch him…" Ivan muttered to himself.

"Get in line." Winter whispered in return.

"Careful, Lieutenant." Ivan grinned, lightly nudging he with his elbow. "We're not here for that… as cathartic as it might be."

It was only after they were a mere few seconds from being upon the small group that Weiss and her Father noted their approach. Bishop had gone off to converse with Ironwood, leaving the two SPARTANs and three Huntresses to tend to their own matters. Weiss' eyes immediately brightened as she saw the five familiar faces before her. Jacques looked… displeased, but hid it rather well.

"Ruby…" Weiss began, smiling. Before she could even finish her sentence, she found herself wrapped in a hug by her effervescent partner.

"Weiss!" Ruby declared, very nearly picking the Heiress up off the ground as she hugged her. Ruby now stood almost four inches taller than Weiss, even with her heels on. Weiss happily returned the hug.

"Ivan… Winter…" Jacques began, turning to the two SPARTANs. Winter had stood slightly taller than her father before, but now it was almost unfair. He had to crane his neck up slightly to look into her eyes, and she _relished_ that feeling.

"Sorry about the rude entrance." Ivan apologized, putting on that façade that ONI's training had helped build up. "She's fast." He gestured over to Ruby with a free hand.

"Winter?" Weiss asked as Ruby finally released her grip on the Heiress., seeing her sister for the first time in almost eight months now. "You're… in a UNSC uniform? And you're taller?"

Winter gave her younger sister a warm smile. "SPARTAN Augmentations have the nasty habit of doing that." Weiss' eyes widened at that. "It's so good to see you again, Weiss."

"I… you're all here?" Weiss asked, looking to the rest of her old team. Blake and Yang both had smiles on their faces. One thing that stood out among everything else however, was Yang's arm. There were tiny little creases at the joints, showing the black material underneath. Scar tissue ran up from beneath a metal dock in her arm where the artificial limb was connected. "And you're all okay…"

"Not lookin' so bad yourself, Weiss." Yang smiled.

"It's good to see you again, Weiss." Blake gave a small smile. She seemed to have calmed down a bit, but Ivan could see it. The anger was still there.

"Mind if we pull you away for a minute, Weiss?" Ivan asked, looking to the Heiress. He hoped his eyes could convey the sense of urgency. Much to his dismay, she tentatively glanced up to her father, who seemed to relent with a slight nod.

"Of course." Weiss nodded.

Before Ivan could turn to walk towards another end of the large ballroom, Jacques' voice called out to him. "If I might speak with you for a moment, Ivan?" He asked, awfully diplomatic.

"No problem." Ivan nodded. He glanced back over to the others. "I'll catch up with you in a second." With happy nods from the four Huntresses and a knowing look from Winter, they all headed off towards the artwork in the other end of the room.

Ivan followed Jacques to a secluded corner of the ballroom, away from the other guests. As he arrived, Jacques wheeled around to face Ivan, irritation evident on his face. "Just what are you doing here?"

Ivan's face remained stoic as he responded. "Seeing a friend." He answered.

"I don't seem to recall inviting you or Winter here." Jacques glared at him, obviously annoyed by his answer.

"You didn't." Ivan shrugged. "Admiral Bishop did, however. We're here as his guests."

Jacques frowned, letting out a sigh. He huffed before speaking again. "Enjoy the party, then." As he turned to leave, Ivan allowed himself a small smirk.

As Ivan made his way over to join the others, he heard a soft voice crackle to life in his ear. _"Colonel, Omega Team is ready to begin the operation. Awaiting your ready ping."_ Lauren's voice was hushed. Silently, he sent the proper ping from his neural implant. Her voice returned again. _"Acknowledged, we're moving in. Has Soleia confirmed the presence of Forerunner systems in the area?"_

 _"_ _That is an affirmative, SPARTAN."_ Soleia responded from Ivan's implant. _"Sending the relevant data to you now."_

XXXXX

 **February 1, 2683; 1137 Hours**

 **Remnant, Atlas (Schnee Estate, Ballroom)**

"This is a great thing you're doing, Weiss." Yang offered as she stood beside Blake and the Heiress, admiring a painting of Beacon's visage atop the plateau it resided on. "Even if the paintings are a bit pricey."

Weiss shrugged. "The people around here can afford it… even if not many of them are even bothering to look."

"This all just seems like a joke to them." Blake noted. "Most of them are just here to mingle. They couldn't care less about what happened to Vale if you paid them."

"I agree…" Winter nodded. "They won't part with their money unless it can make them more."

"Yeah…" Ivan agreed, walking over. "When you spend your entire life sitting above everyone else with your head crammed up your own ass, you forget who let you get there in the first place."

"Well said." Weiss nodded, smirking towards the SPARTAN. "If a bit blunt…"

"If there's one thing I'm not, it's subtle." Ivan chuckled. "Based on that song… it looks like you're the same way, Weiss."

Weiss gave a small smile in return. "It felt good… I've been on-edge for months. Seeing all of you again feels great! Even if it's only for today…"

"Things around us have a habit of changing, Weiss." Winter offered, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder. "What you did on that stage was the strongest message you could have sent… I'm proud of you."

"Thank you…" Weiss smiled, all too happy to be pulled into a hug by her sister.

The entire group had fallen into a pleasant silence for a few moments. This silence was unfortunately broken by a very… verbose woman who had obviously had a bit too much to drink so far. Her words carried out over the dull hum of conversation in the ballroom. "Really, does it come as any surprise what happened to Vale?" She asked, looking to the small group that she was standing with. Everyone in Ivan's small group turned to look. "It was a long time coming if you ask me." Ivan could see Weiss tense up as the woman casually laughed off her husband's attempts to get her to quiet down a bit. He watched as Winter placed a hand on Weiss' shoulder to keep her grounded.

"What?" The woman continued. "You said it yourself last night! If they're so arrogant to think they can get by without proper defense, I say good riddance! Even those oh-so-powerful aliens couldn't stop what happened."

"It's not worth it, Weiss…" Winter offered,

XXXXX

 **February 1, 2683; 1741 Hours**

 **Remnant, Atlas (ONI Regional Headquarters)**

"Sir, you are not going to believe this…" Lauren declared as she walked through the door, her black MJOLNIR whirring softly as she walked. She produced a small chip from the back of her helmet, handing it over to Thorne.

Thorne glanced over to Ivan and Winter, who stood beside him. The two of them were left in Atlas as the three Huntresses had gone back to Mistral. All they knew was that Ivan and Winter were needed for a briefing in Atlas, and they'd be back soon. He gave them a knowing look as he took the chip and slotted it into the console before him. He was greeted by the video feed taken directly from the SPARTAN's helmet, depicting their entry to the Forerunner Ruins beneath Atlas' surface.

They entered through a small duct beneath the Schnee Estate's grounds, evading the patrolling Atlesian Knights with their active camouflage. After passing through a few hundred meters of tunnel lined with Forerunner Alloy, they came upon an open duct where a pylon would usually reside.

The feed shifted as Lauren produced the snake-like camera she had brought, feeding the micro-wire stem of the device through the duct and linking it with her HUD. As the camera scanned around, it showed at least three-dozen people milling about a large storage area containing the partially-assembled forms of Promethean Armigers. All of the people in the large room were wearing sterile white uniforms adorned with the SDC logo on the shoulders. Thorne had thought he had seen all of it… up until the Camera finished its rotation and focused in on what was quite possibly the most dangerous item in that facility.

"Is that a goddamn _War Sphinx_?!" Thorne asked, floored at the sight of a partially-operational Forerunner War Sphinx. Parts of its body were illuminated in the same manner as a Promethean, with thin lines of blue light emanating from beneath the armored carapace. Confirming his suspicions, the camera once again focused in on the "face" of the vehicle.

"Son of a bitch was trying to get the War Sphinx working?" Ivan asked, stunned. "Jesus Christ…"

"Colonel, I want you and Schnee in the armory ten minutes ago!" Thorne wheeled around to face him. "Full combat gear. You're with the recovery team. Meet me on the landing pad in five."

"Aye, sir!" Ivan saluted, turning with Winter and heading towards the facility's armory. He couldn't get his and Winter's MJOLNIR out here in time, so she'd have to make do with a more-traditional BDU for this. He _always_ had a suit of armor at his beck and call, however. Even if it was draining on him to use it.

Rounding the corner, Ivan ran a hand across the biometric scanner and gained access to the extensive armory that the ONI Agents had at their disposal. Every weapon in the UNSC's ever-expanding arsenal was present in this room; from the small and powerful M6 Magnum to the hulking mass of green metal that was the M6 Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle. He watched as Winter effortlessly removed her Dress Blues, revealing the MJOLNIR Tech Suit that lay beneath them. She let them fall where she stood as she made her way over to a collection of ODST BDUs, grabbed one that would fit her, and started laying the armor on over the Tech Suit.

Ivan removed his own Dress Blues, allowing his Semblance to call forth the Combat Skin. Each of the Forerunner Alloy plates assembled themselves over Ivan's body, encasing him fully. A Light Rifle fell into his hands, power cell already slotted into the proper place. "Show-off…" Winter called out, grabbing an MA5 and an M6 SOCOM from the rack on the wall, pulling the ODST helmet on over her head

XXXXX

 **February 1, 2683; 1821 Hours**

 **Remnant, Atlas (Schnee Estate)**

Weiss sat on the edge of her bed as her father paced in front of her. Her eyes remained glued to the backs of her hands as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. "Unbelievable…" Jacques muttered. "Absolutely unbelievable…" Weiss looked up as she heard her father stop, and saw him to be bearing down on her, finger jabbed in her direction. "Do you have any idea what your little stunt could cost us?"

"I-" Weiss tried to defend herself, but she was quickly cut off by her father.

"And don't think I'm just talking about Lien or Credits here!" He shouted. "Our reputation! Our… our…" He growled, running a hand through his white hair. Right now, he couldn't even bear to look at Weiss.

Weiss looked back down to her hands, steeling herself as she started speaking. "I want to leave." She deadpanned.

"I beg your pardon?" Jacques asked, incredulously.

"I said: 'I want to leave!'" Weiss answered, much more sure of herself now. "I don't want to stay here anymore! I don't want to stay in _Atlas_ anymore!"

"Young lady, I don't give a damn about what you want!" Jacques jabbed his finger outwards again, his tone punctuated by a low growl. "This isn't about you, this is about the Schnee family name and your apparent insistence on dragging it through the mud!"

That _really_ pissed Weiss off. She stood up, only standing up to her father's shoulders, but she spoke with authority that made her seem to tower over him. "I have done nothing but uphold the honor of _my_ family name!" Weiss shouted in response. "A name that _you_ married into!"

Weiss gasped as she felt her father's open palm strike her across the face, causing her to stumble back and fall onto her bed. She looked up to him in shock, a trembling hand coming up to hold the point he had struck. She had a sinking feeling that the unpleasant silence punctuated by her father's glare would have gone on even longer had it not been for her door flying open with a heavy crack, sending it off its hinges.

XXXXX

 **February 1, 2683; 1815 Hours**

 **Remnant, Atlas (Schnee Estate)**

Ivan disembarked the Pelican along with Winter, Thorne, Fireteam Omega, and eight ONISEC Marines clad in black armor. All of them wielded suppressed SMGs and Magnums with the exception of Ivan, who carried a Boltshot at his hip along with a Light Rifle in his hands. Their Pelican had set down in the manor's courtyard, much to the dismay of the few guards that stood in front of the door. They held out their hands as Thorne approached, free hands hovering over the grips of their weapons, but to no avail. "Stand down." Thorne ordered, tensing his grip on the M7 in his hands. "Under the authority of the UNSC Office of Naval Intelligence, all three of you are to stand aside or face charges of impeding an ongoing investigation."

"Where's your warrant?" The lead guard asked, hand now wrapped around the grip of his sidearm.

"Right here." Thorne signaled to Winter and an ONISEC Marine with his implant as he brought his SMG up, putting a trio of rounds in the guard's forehead. The other two fell to the ground, three neat holes punched into their skulls. Thorne motioned to the three SPARTANs of Omega Team and four ONISEC Marines to break off and secure the Forerunner installation. He walked through the front door with Ivan, Winter, and two Marines in tow. The other two Marines remained behind to secure the entrance and move the bodies out of sight.

Outside the walls of the estate, sixteen Pelican dropships set down. Each of them offloaded twenty four ONISEC Marines. The Marines quickly moved to secure the perimeter of the Schnee estate, putting down the light guard force that patrolled the perimeter of the estate. A few platoons of Marines funneled in through the front gate as they secured the walls, moving to surround the estate itself.

As he made his way into the foyer of the massive estate, he was unsurprised to see the Schnee family butler walking through the room, a platter in his hands. Klein turned to the seven UNSC operatives in surprise. "Mister Thorne… is there anything I can help you with?" If he was at all surprised by the hulking mass of Forerunner Alloy before him, he didn't show it.

"Where is Jacques?" Thorne asked, keeping a firm grip on his SMG. "It's an urgent matter."

Seeming to sense the thinly-veiled threat that Thorne had just posed, Klein knew better than to argue with a man who would kill him with absolutely no remorse. "Ah, yes, of course." He nodded, keeping his composure. "I do believe he's in young Weiss' room."

"Thank you." Thorne nodded. He motioned for one of the Marines to restrain Klein. "A precautionary measure. I'm sure you understand."

"Of course, sir…" Klein nodded, taking the whole thing in relative stride. He put up no resistance against the Marine, allowing his hands to be secured behind his back. "Dreadfully sorry about whatever made you come here."

Thorne ignored the words as he led the group up the stairs and through the halls of the estate. Thankfully, this late at night, nobody else seemed to be around. They covered the distance to Weiss' room quickly and quietly with the three Marines guarding their rear.

As they rounded a corner, they were all happy to find the hallway completely empty. The only sound in the area was the quiet footfalls of the Marines, SPARTANs, and ONI Agent as they approached. Thorne quietly waved Ivan and Winter to the left of the door, while he and the three Marines took up positions on the right. Hearing a rather… heated discussion from the other side, Thorne held up a hand, signaling everyone to wait. Ivan, Winter, and Thorne listened intently as Jacques' voice boomed from the other side.

"-and your apparent insistence on dragging it through the mud!" He declared.

Weiss' voice answered in kind, equally loud and _very_ irritated at her father's words. "I have done nothing but uphold _my_ family name… a name that _you_ married into!"

Only the hearing of the three SPARTANs was acute enough to pick up on the noise that followed. It was the distinct sound of someone striking another; and it was Weiss who gasped in response. Ivan couldn't see Winter from where he stood, but he could tell that she was absolutely and completely enraged by what she heard. Thorne's face hardened as he heard it, and Ivan's mind immediately flipped a switch.

Thorne motioned to the door, and Winter stepped forward. She brought her armored boot into its surface with enough force to send it flying inwards, breaking the bottom hinge completely as it swung open. She was the first in, and the rest of the strike team followed in behind her. "On your knees, hands behind your head!" Winter shouted, keeping her SMG trained firmly on her father's torso. It was taking every ounce of her willpower to keep from hammering down on that trigger and not letting up until her magazine ran dry.

Both Jacques and Weiss stood stunned as the familiar voice shouted out. Both immediately recognized it as belonging to Winter. They didn't have much time to consider that before seven more figures filed into the room behind her. Jacques immediately recognized Thorne, wearing a suit of HELLCAT-pattern MJOLNIR from the neck-down. His head was encased in the slight shimmering of an energy shield. He was absolutely stunned at the sight of a suit of Forerunner Armor storming into the room, training a Light Rifle on his head. Weiss recognized that armor in an instant… it was Ivan.

"On the ground!" Thorne ordered, training his own SMG on Jacques' chest. He was simply too stunned to even register the command. Weiss simply watched as it all unfolded before her. ONI was currently raiding her home, and was arresting her father. She couldn't quite believe it.

Quite finished with the lull in action, Winter stepped forward and brought the butt of her weapon into her father's stomach, sending him doubling over in pain. She pressed her armored foot into his back, now pointing her weapon into the back of his head. "Jacques Schnee, under the authority of the UNSC Office of Naval Intelligence, you are under arrest as per Naval Code 93661-1 for a confirmed breach of UEG law regarding the unregistered gathering and study of Forerunner Artifacts."

"And while in ONI custody, you have no rights." Thorne deadpanned, motioning for one of the Marines to restrain him. "That will change once you're handed over to the civilian authorities, but while you're in my care, you play by my rules." Thorne had been given the run-around by Jacques for the better part of eight months now. _This_ was cathartic for him.

Ivan allowed his grip on the Light Rifle to slack as Schnee's arms were restrained behind his back. He glanced over to Weiss, who was still shocked to see seven armored figures in her room arresting her father.

"Father!" Another voice called out. Two of the Marines wheeled around to the door, surprised to see that they were leveling their weapons on a teenage boy. He stood there, shocked as two SMGs were pointed in his direction. "What are you doing in here?!"

"Stay back!" One of the Marines shouted. "Do _not_ move!"

"Listen to them, Whitley!" Weiss called out.

"Ivan, Winter, get the civvies out of here and into the courtyard." Thorne ordered. "I'll wrap up here."

XXXXX

 **February 1, 2683; 1848 Hours**

 **Remnant, Atlas (Schnee Estate)**

"He did _what_?!" Weiss asked, stunned.

"Father's knowingly broken one of the highest laws in the UEG." Winter answered for a second time. "We can tell you more once we're alone."

"All that we can share with the both of you…" Ivan began, looking to Weiss and Whitley in turn. "is that your father will be facing a minimum sentence of one hundred and sixty years, with the very real possibility of spending the rest of his days in a UEG prison."

"You're just _allowed_ to do this?" Whitley asked, gesturing around to the Marines that were holding their ground around the estate. "What law is so important that you kick down our door and assault our father in the dead of night over it being broken?"

"A law that went into place after we faced one of the greatest threats to mankind's existence." Ivan answered, simply. "Your father unknowingly put the entire population of this planet at risk, and came dangerously close to causing Vale-levels of destruction here in Atlas."

"That's just it!" Whitley declared. " _Unknowingly_!"

"Ignorance of the law doesn't make you immune to it, Whitley." Winter responded, a bit of bite behind her words. "Despite everything Father's taught you."

"Colonel!" Thorne called out to the SPARTAN, who had since shed his combat skin and was standing in his Tech Suit now that the estate was under firm ONI control. The ONI Agent had eight SDC researchers in tow, all of them escorted by the three SPARTANs of Omega Team. "Underground complex has been secured, the Marines can handle it from here."

"Copy that, Thorne." Ivan nodded. "And the civvies?"

"They'll be relocated for the duration of the investigation." Thorne answered, breaking off from the escort of the SDC personnel. "And the man of the hour will be transported to the ONI HQ shortly."

"What's going to happen to the company?" Weiss looked to Thorne.

"The SDC and its assets will be transferred to temporary state control until the verdict is passed on your father." Thorne answered, drawing a look of concern from the Heiress and Whitley. "We'll decide whether or not to implicate the Board in the trial in a few days. I'll keep you posted as best I can."

"And our home?" Whitley asked, glaring at Thorne.

"Has been declared as 'condemned' by the Office." Thorne answered. "Hence why you're being relocated. Your father has estates all over the planet. Your mother will decide where you will be living after we question her." He glanced over to Weiss. "As for you, Miss Schnee… I believe your friends will be very happy to have you back."

Weiss allowed herself a smile. "It'll be good to be back."

XXXXX

 **February 2, 2683; 2307 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

After the painstaking six hour flight from Atlas to Mistral, the Pelican dropship carrying Fireteam Omega, Weiss, and a few of Weiss's personal belongings that she grabbed set down at the UNSC's airbase in Mistral. It was around eleven at night, and the base's patrol consisted of ODSTs with their VISRs activated as they walked the perimeter. Pelicans were constantly coming and going, and on-base life simply carried on.

Ivan sighed as he stood up, his back cracking in protest. During the flight, he had his biometrics checked by Winter, who had informed him that the adrenal boosters the Combat Skin had dumped into his body were now clearing out, and he'd very likely crash in the coming hours. He spent the rest of the flight bringing Weiss up to speed on the situation. Ivan notified her when Jacques was brought to the ONI HQ in Atlas as well. She didn't seem to care in the slightest when she learned that he would be tried in a UEG court. If anything, she seemed relieved. One thing Ivan certainly noticed was, after she returned from grabbing Myrtenaster from her room, she had a small smile on her face.

Ivan and Winter helped Weiss carry her four bags out of the Pelican. The remainder of Omega followed behind, and Ivan quickly relieved them of duty and ordered them to rest. "Gah… why is it so humid here?" Weiss asked, irritated.

Ivan smiled. It seemed that Weiss was returning to her normal self rather quickly after having a veritable mountain of information dropped on her over the past five hours. As strange as it might have been, Team RWBY was just not complete without its heiress, and it was good for her to be back. A few of the ODSTs on patrol around the airfield send a quick one-movement wave towards Ivan, which he returned with a nod.

After a short trek across the airbase, they arrived in the on-base housing sector, which was absolutely dead at this hour. There were a few lights visible through windows, and the house he had taken up residence in had the living room lights on, but he just assumed that Yang and Nora were up to something, since neither of them could apparently fall asleep before midnight. "Wait… this is what your on-base houses look like?" Weiss asked, impressed by the two-story home, complete with an actual front and backyard.

"Yep, and we've got an Officer's Housing unit, so it's bigger than most." Ivan said, fumbling around in his pocket for his keycard. After searching around, he fished it from his pocket, placed it against the holographic interface off to the side of the doorframe, and was rewarded with a soft click. He nudged the door open, peering inside.

He saw, as he expected, Yang sitting on the couch, playing a game with Jaune, Coco, Pyrrha, Blake, and Nora on the couch. All of them had controllers in their hand, and were almost too distracted by the screen to notice Ivan step inside, carrying bags. "Well, look who's back after their 'briefing' in Atlas." Yang said, glancing over.

"Bit more than a briefing." Ivan commented, placing the white bags down by the door. "We found someone, too." Just then, Weiss walked in, hiding the smile that threatened to break through.

"Holy shit!" Yang said, stunned. She bolted to her feet, along with everyone else, and ran over to Weiss. "You're back!" She said, smiling.

"Indeed, I am." Weiss said, the smile having broken free. "Glad to see everyone's still together."

"Oh yeah…" Yang said, smirking. "Thorne pulled some major strings to get all of us together for this. I just can't believe he got _you_ , too!"

"It's great to have you back, Weiss." Blake said, offering a small smile.

Weiss immediately noticed that Blake was lacking her bow, and hummed. "Blake… your bow?"

She shrugged. "Everyone here knows… there's no point wearing it at home. I'm still not quite ready to _completely_ forget about it, but maybe soon."

"Well, I think this look suits you, Blakey." Yang said, giving her girlfriend a peck on the cheek.

"Surprisingly, I agree with the brute." Weiss joked.

After Weiss went through the introductions, it fell into an amicable quiet that usually came after that long-time reunion. After a few moments, Weiss spoke up. "Where's Ruby?" She asked, looking around.

"She's upstairs, asleep." Yang answered. "Still can't stay up past ten, apparently."

Weiss nodded in understanding. She turned to Ivan and Winter. "Where should I put my things?"

"We divided it up by partners, so Ruby's had a room all to herself for the past few weeks. You can stay with her."

Ivan noticed the slight twinge of redness spreading across Weiss's cheeks. "Okay… where is she?"

"Upstairs, first door on the right." Ivan answered.

Weiss nodded. "I'll go put my things away, and then I'll be right back down, we still have some catching up to do."

"Damn straight we do, Weissy." Yang said, smirking as she flopped back onto the couch.

Weiss smiled, grabbing a pair of her suitcases, electing to come back down for the last two in another trip. Despite Ivan and Winter's insistence that they can help, she remained steadfast and would carry them in separate trips.

After climbing the stairs, she quickly turned right and found the door she was looking for. It was slightly ajar, making the whole 'opening' part much easier on her. As she quietly nudged the door open, she saw the familiar form of her spontaneous brunette team leader sprawled out under the sheets, the back of her head visible above the comforter.

Weiss realized a few moments later that she had been staring. She shook her head, carefully placing her belongings down by the door. After a moment of consideration, she took a deep breath, and made her way over to Ruby. She smiled as she heard the girl lightly snoring, the familiar noise bringing back memories of their dorm at Beacon. Her mood soured slightly when she remembered that Beacon was now Grimm-infested rubble, but she pushed those thoughts aside.

She reached over, placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder and shaking her lightly. "Ruby… hey, Ruby?" She started, causing the sleeping brunette to stir slightly, rolling over.

Weiss noticed that her hair was much longer than she remembered, as it now ran past her shoulders. Ruby's face also looked softer, and slightly older. She had almost forgotten that Ruby was seventeen now. One silver eye cracked open, and she groggily spoke up. "H-hey Weiss…" Weiss cocked an eyebrow as her eye closed again, only to have both shoot open an instant later. In a flurry of rose petals, Weiss found herself pulled into Ruby's embrace. "Weiss!" She practically shouted. Weiss immediately returned the hug, having missed her team leader's endless energy. "I missed you so much!"

"It's been a day Ruby." Weiss grinned, finally being let free from the younger girl's hug. Now that Ruby was above the covers somewhat, Weiss finally realized just how different she looked. It was quite clear that puberty hit the Xiao Long genes like a truck, and Ruby was no different. She was much more womanly than Weiss remembered. She was still paled by Yang in comparison, but Ruby was nothing to scoff at. It was clear that Ruby had grown into a veritable young woman while Weiss was gone. She was amazed that she didn't notice it in Atlas. "How've you been?" Weiss asked, realizing that the silence was slowly become rather awkward.

"Okay, but _way_ better now that you're back!" Weiss blushed a bit, and silently thanked the fact that it was dark in this room. "You _are_ back, right?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, I'm back." Weiss answered, finding herself locked in another Ruby hug.

"Yay!" Ruby cheered, earning a smile from the heiress. "Well, there's no way I can sleep now… wanna go hang out with everyone else downstairs?"

"There's nothing I'd enjoy more… we've got quite a bit to catch up on." Weiss said, smiling.

"No kidding!" Ruby said, practically bouncing out of her bed. She grabbed Weiss by the wrist, and pulled her out of the room. "C'mon!" She said.

A broad smile crossed Weiss's face. After spending the past nine months in near-perpetual stress and frustration, having her carefree Ruby back was such a refreshing feeling that she doubted if anything could ruin her night now. Now that Ruby was on her feet, her happy mood had become infectious, Weiss quickly finding herself happy just from being around Ruby again. She felt a slight pang of sadness that she had missed out on all of this, but she hoped to make up for it soon. No, she _knew_ that she'd make up for lost time.


	29. Chapter 29: A Warm Welcome

**Chapter 29: A Warm Welcome**

 **February 3, 2683; 1021 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Weiss slowly awoke, finding herself wrapped up in sheets and half of her vision buried in the pillow. She slowly pulled herself up, allowing herself a languid stretch and a contented sigh. She looked over, seeing Ruby haphazardly buried beneath the covers of the bed, a small smile coming over her features.

She lightly shook Ruby's shoulder, seeing that the clock read "10:21 A.M.". Normally, she wouldn't be caught dead waking up this late, but after yesterday's excitement and having stayed up until two in the morning, she figured she could make an exception. "Ruby…" She half-whispered.

Ruby groaned lightly, rolling over and cracking her eyes open to look at Weiss. "Hi Weiss." She said, groggily.

Weiss smiled fully. "Hello, Ruby. Time to get up." She said, standing upright and pushing her hair back behind her ears.

"Did we have anything planned for today?" Ruby asked, standing up and stretching.

"Ivan said we'd just be relaxing today, apparently." Weiss said, gathering up a change of clothes from her still-packed bags.

"Awesome!" Ruby said, sitting back down on the end of the bed.

Weiss, having her clothes gathered up, made her way across the hall and into the bathroom. She closed and locked the door behind her, stepping out of her nightgown, and turning on the shower.

Finishing up in the shower, Weiss dried herself off, dressed herself in her usual white dress and tied her hair back in its familiar lopsided ponytail, and made her way back across the hall. As she walked back to the bedroom, she noticed something strange. The house was almost dead silent, save for the quiet humming of the air conditioning. Looking down the staircase, the living room was occupied by a still-sleeping Yang on the couch; Blake snuggled up at her side.

For a moment, Weiss felt a pang of jealousy as she looked at the slumbering lovers. Every significant other she had ever been with was carefully selected by her Father, making the relationship forced and hollow. What existed between Yang and Blake was the closest thing to true love that she had ever seen. It's the only way that the quiet Faunus would ever be able to put up with that boisterous partner of hers.

Weiss sighed, knowing full-well that most people only "cared" about her because of her name. The people in this house, however, did not fall into that _long_ laundry list of people. And there was one girl in specific that she was immensely glad to have back. She had taken Ruby's friendship for granted when she still attended Beacon, she had taken all of her friendships for granted and she hated herself for that. After being through hell and high water with her team, she was stolen away to be married off to some heir. She counted it as dumb luck that she was saved from that fate, the fate that she knew would eventually catch up with her at some point. Now, for the first time in her nineteen years on Remnant, Weiss really had no idea what to do. After all of those meaningless relationships her father had set up, she wanted something real, and that's what she got from her team.

She couldn't stop her mind from drifting back to her bubbly team leader.

Despite Ruby's effervescent nature, Weiss somehow made a friend of her. She wasn't quite sure when it started happening, but something just kept pulling her mind back to the younger girl whenever she thought of what _she_ wanted. She couldn't believe it… she had fallen for Ruby Rose. After realizing this all of those months ago, all of the pieces started falling into place. She had never found any of her suitors even _remotely_ appealing. She recognized that a few were certainly handsome, but she felt _absolutely nothing_ when she looked at them. Whenever she looked at Ruby, though, that was far different. Something in her chest tightened, and it took all of those years of etiquette training just to keep herself from stumbling over her words.

Of all of the things, she just _had_ to fall for Ruby. Of all of the people, she fell for a bubbly, happy, dolt of a team leader… she fell for her polar opposite. She had no idea if Ruby even looked at her and saw anything worth being with. Hell, she didn't even know if Ruby _could_ like her in that way. That was the kicker, for the first time in her life, Weiss was at an absolute loss. She wanted nothing more than to have even a _fraction_ of what Blake and Yang had, but she couldn't bring herself to risk her friendship with Ruby. She had been around enough people. She knew that the whole "We can stay friends" thing that came with every awkward turn-down was meaningless. The two never stayed friends, it would simply be too awkward. The thought of losing Ruby as a friend scared her even more than the concept of telling her how she _really_ felt.

She let out a light sigh, shaking her head slightly as she strolled back towards the room, preparing to put the façade she had worn for years back up.

XXXXX

 **February 3, 2683; 1030 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck, War Games Simulator)**

"SPARTANs, we have Banshee Raiders and Elite Rangers on the field!" The announcer declared as Ivan grabbed an ARC-920 Railgun from a rack by the armory's requisition station. He slung it over his shoulder, clicking it into place on his armor's magnetic locks. He hefted his Battle Rifle, checking the LED display on the upper receiver.

Winter locked a new drum for her SAW into place, whacking the retention arm on the automatic weapon. She had a bandolier of 8-gauge slugs and buckshot on her torso armor, along with a wide array of grenades and explosives. She grabbed an M45D Shotgun from the rack by the requisition station, locking it into place on her back. "Ready?" She asked from beneath her helmet.

"Let's do it." Ivan said, motioning to the rest of his fireteam of SPARTANs and ODSTs. The group of eight soldiers moved through the large bay door into the streets of New Alexandria, or at least the simulation of it. Overturned cars littered the streets, windows were shattered, blast marks and bullet holes pockmarked walls and the ground all throughout the city square that the simulation depicted.

"Eyes on!" Ivan shouted, hefting the Railgun as he saw the Banshee squadron in the air begin zeroing in on their position. "Find cover!" He shouted, jamming down on the trigger for four seconds, charging the capacitors on the weapon, and unleashing the slug at the incoming Banshee Wing Leader. The round speared through, vaporizing the aircraft's Sangheili pilot and ripping the canopy clean off. The burning husk slammed into the ground, skidding to a halt in the middle of a wide boulevard. After downing the squadron leader, Ivan keyed his armor's micro-thrusters and pushed himself behind a metal wall to take cover.

Winter propelled herself into cover with a Glyph, the two ODSTs sliding into cover with her a few moments later. The ODSTs had switched out their black BDUs for a variant of SPI armor, essentially giving them MJOLNIR-level protection with notably less force-multiplication circuit assistance. "Split-neck!" The ODST Sergeant shouted, firing his assault rifle at one of the repulsor pack-bearing Sangheili warriors that were converging on their position. The high-caliber rounds slowly whittled away at the energy shields of the Elite before he was forced back into cover by a hail of Carbine fire.

Winter popped up, firing an 8-gauge slug through the head of the shield-less Elite, earning a sickening squelch as the corpse slumped to the ground. A few of the incoming Carbine projectiles pinged off of her shields before she could duck back down.

By this point, the Banshees were in firing range. Heavy Plasma Repeaters sent massive bursts of searing plasma towards the defending UNSC soldiers, completely draining the shields on one of the ODSTs, and severely weakening Winter's. One of the Raiders fired a Fuel Rod at Ivan, knocking him back into cover as he attempted to charge another Railgun shot.

Mary, from her elevated position atop the Armory, fired a few rounds with her SRS-99 Sniper Rifle, taking down four of the Rangers, each with a clean headshot. One of the simulated Marines next to her had a Carbine round slotted between his eyes, causing him to slump over, dead.

Jacob, who was standing near the bay door, fired his heavy belt-fed chain gun at a group of the advancing Elites, shredding them with .50 caliber explosive rounds. One of the Elites, from atop a building nearby fired a few rounds from a Beam Rifle at the SPARTAN, forcing Jacob to take cover in the armory.

From behind the Elite sniper, Lauren shimmered back into view, wrenching the Sangheili's head back and jamming a combat knife through the top of its mouth, causing the massive alien to go limp before it fell to the ground. A mere moment later, she disappeared again.

The firefight carried on for around ten minutes, with the simulated Covenant forces trading shots with the SPARTANs and ODSTs. In a rather impressive acrobatic display, Winter used a combination of her Glyphs and her augments to board and hijack a Banshee, essentially winning the battle for the UNSC forces.

When the last of the Banshee Raiders had a Railgun slug split it in half, the announcer came back online over their communicators. "Round completed. Final round in five minutes. Be advised, intel suggests that Warden Eternal will be on the field."

"God damnit, I hate that asshole." Ivan said, slotting a new magazine into his Battle Rifle.

"Fuck me!" Jacob shouted from inside the armory, looking for a heavy-hitting weapon. He eventually settled on an old SPNKr launcher.

"The eggheads in the control room must hate us right now…" Lauren commented, shimmering back into view and slotting new magazines into her SMGs.

"I'll get the tank." Winter said, walking towards the garage with a heavy sigh.

XXXXX

 **February 3, 2683; 1059 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Blake woke up slowly, allowing herself a languid, cat-like stretch. After this, she made the mistake of cracking an eye open. She saw a wide grin on Yang's face. "Mornin' kitty cat." She said, planting a kiss on Blake's forehead.

"Good morning." Blake said, smiling, snuggling into Yang's side. She looked around, seeing that it was only her and Yang in the living room. "Where is everyone?"

"Ivan and Winter are doing some simulation thing." Yang explained. "Ruby and Weiss are still upstairs, I think, and JNPR and CFVY are out in town."

Blake hummed in acknowledgement, finding herself cut off by the sound of the door clicking open. Blake and Yang both looked over to the door, finding Ivan and Winter to be shuffling inside, both of them looking exhausted. "You guys alright?" Yang asked, her blonde mane popping up over the back of the couch.

Ivan groaned. "I hate War Games." He said, making his way down into the basement. An amused smile crossed Winter's face as she heard the faint noise of the mechanical components of MJOLNIR whirring, followed by pieces of armor clattering to the floor. A few moments later, he ascended the staircase again, wearing only his Tech Suit.

"You look like you're about to pass out." Blake observed, seeing the rather sluggish movements.

"The War Games today _definitely_ put us through our paces." Winter said with a nod.

" _Four_ fucking Warden Eternals…" Ivan muttered to himself, walking into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.

"Where's Ruby and Weiss?" Winter asked, placing her helmet on the table by the door.

"Ruby just got out of the shower." Yang answered, having seen her sister walking back into her room a few minutes prior. "Still upstairs."

"We should all do something before I decide to crawl back into bed and sleep until next week." Ivan commented, walking back into the living room. "CFVY and JNPR are still in town, right?"

"Yep." Yang said.

"Awesome…" Ivan said. "We should go into town, find something to do."

"I'm down." Yang said, looking to Blake. "Blakey?"

"Sure." Blake said, the picture of indifference.

"I'll go grab Ruby and Weiss, then shower, and we can head out." Ivan said, making his way towards the staircase.

XXXXX

 **February 3, 2683; 1102 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Weiss smiled as Ruby walked into the room, her hair still damp from the shower. She had her familiar black and red dress on, her cloak still wrapped around her shoulders like always. It was a familiar sight that brought her a certain level of certainty that this was, in fact, real. She was back with her friends. Weiss put her scroll down as Ruby entered. "Hey, Weiss." Ruby said, grinning slightly.

"Hello, Ruby." Weiss said, giving a smile back.

Ruby looked around the room, and noticed that all of Weiss' bags were neatly tucked away in the still-open closet, with all of Weiss' clothing either hung up on hangers in the closet or presumably folded neatly in the drawers. Naturally, it was a lot of white. "You unpacked _everything_ while I was in the shower?"

"Ruby… you take forever to shower." Weiss said, her voice emphasizing just _how long_ she had to unpack. "You take twenty minute showers at the least."

"Still better than Yang." Ruby defended. "Takes at least an hour for her to get ready."

Weiss laughed lightly. "True enough."

Ruby then realized just how much of the room was left undecorated. She had been living here for months, and all she had done was hang up a _single_ band poster on the wall. Despite every ounce of her being shouting at her to _not_ like the Achieve Men, she couldn't stop listening to their music. She especially liked that Gavin guy, he had a funny accent after all. "We should really decorate this room." Ruby commented. "It feels so boring in here."

Weiss shrugged. "I like the color palate, at least."

Ruby giggled. "Of course you like the white paint."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Dolt…"

"We should totally go into town today!" Ruby said, happily.

"And do what, exactly?"

"Well, I wanted to get some more stuff for Crescent Rose, go shopping, get some decorations for the room, we could go see a movie… oh! And I really want to go to this new restaurant in Mistral, Pyrrha said it's so good!" Weiss smiled as Ruby rambled off the half-dozen more things that streamed into her mind, causing her to stop and catch herself. "A-any of those sound good?"

"Food does sound great…" Weiss mused. "Maybe we could see that new crime movie from Vacuo… and I guess I could go for some shopping."

"Awesome!" Ruby declared, wrapping Weiss in a hug. In an instant, Weiss found that familiar, accursed blush to be returning to her face. "It's been so long since I've been able to go out with anyone!"

 _"_ _Not that kind of going out, damnit…"_ Weiss thought to herself, blushing even further. "L-let's wait for Ivan and Winter to get back before we set anything in stone, thought."

"Yeah…" Ruby said, releasing the heiress. "Probably should wait for them… This is gonna be so fun, though!"

Weiss smiled at Ruby's seemingly endless supply of energy.

After a few more moments of pleasant conversation, a soft rapping could be heard against their door, sounding vaguely like metallic knuckles tapping against the metallic door. "Ruby, Weiss?" Ivan asked from the hallway.

"Ivan!" Ruby declared, happily. "You're back!"

At this, Ivan opened the door, wearing his Tech Suit. "Good to see that the two of you are finally awake." He commented. "Me, Yang, Blake, and Winter wanted to know if you guys wanted to head into town in a little bit?"

"We were just talking about going into town!" Ruby said, happy to see that her plan was all coming together perfectly.

"Cool, I'm gonna go shower and change, then we can head out." Ivan said, smiling. "Anything you guys wanted to do?"

"We were thinking some shopping, finding some decorations for our room, some food, maybe a movie?" Weiss explained.

"Alright, sounds like a plan." Ivan said. "I'll let you know when." With that, the SPARTAN closed the door again, and made his way towards his shared room with Winter to clean up.

"Well… that was convenient." Weiss commented.

"No kidding…" Ruby agreed, sitting down on the bed by Weiss.

As Ruby carried on the conversation with Weiss, she realized something… she had never seen Weiss _this_ relaxed. Usually, her thin eyebrows were locked in a near-perpetual scowl or sneer… but they were simply flat. She smiled more often than ever before, and that brought a strange kind of brightness to Weiss' already beautiful blue eyes. In Ruby's opinion, all that did was make her even more beautiful.

Ruby realized, for the first time, that there was a simple unshakable fact that she had been pushing down for so long: She had a crush on Weiss Schnee. That's why she always felt so nervous around the Heiress, why she always felt even clumsier than she already was and why being away from her for so long actually, physically hurt. The realization practically slapped her in the face. For very nearly two years, Ruby had been suppressing the crush that she had on Weiss, and it finally broke out to the surface of her mind.

Originally, the feelings had been bearable due to how often she was around the ivory-haired girl. Living with her for a full year, finding a true friend in the Heiress, and Weiss' apparent disinterest in dating or romance made it manageable. Her being gone for eight months was absolutely horrible for the young huntress. Before this, she had merely been content to be the best possible friend and partner to Weiss Schnee, to keep that promise that she made on the first day of classes, and to ignore the feeling that she got whenever she was close to the other girl.

She knew that the two of them _ever_ being together was impossible. Ruby had long-ago come to terms with her sexuality. She had never openly expressed it to anyone, but she had come to understand that she simply _liked_ girls. She had a feeling that Yang and her father knew, but she still kept it to herself. Weiss, on the other hand… there was no way that she was a lesbian. Even if she was, she would never want to be with a clumsy, immature, dolt like Ruby Rose. It hurt, but she would keep her promise, just like she always had.

Ruby had absolutely no idea if this was what love was meant to feel like. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to pull Weiss in, capture her gorgeous lips in her own, and simply melt away. She wanted to shower the shorter girl in all of the affection that she had missed out on as the Heiress to Schnee Dust. She had no idea how much longer she could keep these feelings bottled up, but she'd try.

"Ruby?" Weiss asked, drawing the brunette back into reality.

"Huh?" She asked, startled.

"You alright?" Weiss asked, concern in her tone. "You spaced out there for a minute."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ruby lied. This wasn't the first time Ruby had lied about something like this to Weiss, and she was pretty sure that it wouldn't be the last.

XXXXX

 **February 3, 2683; 1203 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral**

The six walked through the busy streets of Mistral, all dressed in civilian clothes. Ivan wore a simple ensemble of shorts, a t-shirt, and sunglasses. Winter had a pair of skintight leggings on, along with a white tank top. Of all of the things that Winter could have brought back from Earth, she chose leggings… and Ivan couldn't have been happier with that outcome.

Ruby wore her normal black-red dress and red cloak, a pair of black stockings, and boots with a small heel to them. She was still _incredibly_ inexperienced in heels, so she didn't quite trust herself with something along the lines of what Weiss wore. The heiress wore a simple white dress that flowed down to the top of her knees, with a pair of white four-inch heels. Weiss was easily the most immaculately-dressed of the six.

Yang, unsurprisingly, wore her _short_ shorts, yellow tank top, and tan vest. As usual, she was very open about her body, and was not afraid to show it by any stretch of the imagination. Blake wore her familiar black bow, just as she always did while in public, along with a black v-neck t-shirt and a pair of white shorts. She and Yang both walked hand-in-hand, the couple long-forgoing any ideas of keeping their relationship on the down-low while in public. Both of them were merely happy to call each other girlfriends, and not afraid to show it at all.

The streets of Mistral were bustling, due to it being a Saturday. People walked the sidewalks, cars filled the streets, and the airspace was rather busy. Bullheads and UNSC aircraft shared the air above. There was no shortage of people out and about today, and there was certainly no shortage of things to do.

Ruby quickly pulled Weiss into a store to look for posters and other decorations, and Yang found herself slowly being pulled towards a bookstore by Blake, much to her amusement. This left just Winter and Ivan, left alone in downtown Mistral. "Didn't know it was couples day…" Ivan mused, earning a chuckle from Winter. He figured they'd all find their way back to one another, they always did.

XXXXX

 **February 3, 2683; 1754 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

"When you guys said you were getting decorations, I didn't think you'd get all of this." Ivan commented, helping to carry some of the many items that Weiss had bought through the front door.

"The room is very bare." Weiss replied, like that justified dropping several hundred lien on. "As nice as white walls might be, all of the monotony will _definitely_ start to wear on me."

"And a white bedspread helps with that… how?" Ivan snarked back, bringing everything he was carrying upstairs.

"Hey, guys!" Coco called out from the kitchen, poking her head through the entryway. "Productive day, I see."

"Very productive." Weiss affirmed.

"We even saw a movie!" Ruby happily mentioned.

"What'd you guys see?" Coco asked, walking into the living room.

"Some crime movie." Ivan said, shrugging. "I was kinda lost, honestly. Really confusing movie."

"We're gonna go set up our stuff!" Ruby called out, carrying some of the things she and Weiss had bought up the staircase. Weiss gave a playful eye-roll and followed Ruby up the stairs, albeit at a far slower pace.

"We should watch a… you know? Good movie?" Yang suggested.

"I'm in." Coco said, shrugging. "Anything in mind?"

"I've got a few ideas." Ivan said, pulling his datapad from its pocket and flipping through a few menus. He smiled as a single movie caught his eye: 2001: A Space Odyssey. "How about a classic?"

XXXXX

 **February 3, 2683; 1859 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Weiss looked around their room, which was now decorated with various paintings, some new posters, some books, a little model of an Autumn-Class Cruiser, a speaker dock for Scrolls, a small television, and various other electronics and knick-knacks. Weiss spent quite a bit, but the way she figured it, she'd be staying here for a while, so why not make it comfortable?

"It looks really good." Ruby happily chirped from her seat on the edge of the bed.

Weiss smiled. "It does look less… barren now." She walked over, sitting down next to Ruby. "We're going to have to lay down some ground rules about the speakers, though."

"No loud music?" Ruby asked, already knowing the rules Weiss wanted to lay down.

"No _super_ loud music." Weiss corrected. "I think I can put up with a little loud music, nothing ear-shattering though."

Ruby shrugged. "Fair enough." After a few moments of a lull in the conversation, Ruby leaned over and pulled Weiss into a hug. "Thanks, Weiss." She said.

Unbeknownst to Ruby, Weiss' face was redder than her cloak. "W-What for?" She stammered out.

"For going out with me to find all of this stuff, silly." Ruby smiled, pulling back. Somehow, Weiss had managed to force the blush back down.

 _"_ _Not that kind of going out, damnit."_ Weiss thought to herself. "D-Don't worry about it, Ruby. That's what friends do, right?"

 _"_ _Just friends, huh?"_ Ruby thought, sadly. She didn't let that show through the smile on her face. "Best friends."

Weiss smiled, pulling Ruby into her own embrace. "Best friends." She affirmed.

Weiss let out a silent sigh as she hugged Ruby, a gesture that was returned immediately. She figured that she already had it as good as it would come with Ruby. She had made the best friend she could ever have hoped for. She figured that she'd eventually get used to the butterflies in her stomach and the tightening in her chest whenever she was around the young woman of her desire. She figured that, eventually, she'd get used to this feeling.

XXXXX

 **February 6, 2683; 1305 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Weiss was so wrong, she was _not_ getting used to this at all. She was sitting on the couch in the living room, watching a movie with Ruby, Pyrrha, Jaune, Coco, and Velvet. It was some comedy film, and it was grating to her. Sure, there were some funny bits, but that was drowned out by the near-perpetual cringing that this film brought on… not to mention the obvious fact that it was _apparently_ a couples movie. Jaune and Pyrrha were snuggled into each other beneath a white blanket, and Velvet rested in Coco's lap, having her hair constantly played with.

In the three days since she had returned, it had only gotten harder to ignore that constantly twisting in her gut whenever she was around her spunky team leader. She was being just as wonderful as Weiss remembered, and it was killing her. In a perfect world, she would be snuggled up with Ruby right now, laughing at the movie, but this was far from a perfect world, so she simply sat on the couch, doing her best to at least _look_ like she was enjoying herself. The constant banging noise coming from the garage wasn't doing much to calm her nerves, though.

"What in the world is that noise?" Weiss asked as another loud bang, sounding like metal striking metal, sounded off from the garage.

"Yang and Ivan are doing something in the garage." Ruby shrugged.

"It sounds like they're in a fistfight with a freakin' Paladin." Coco commented, glancing over with a grin.

"Knowing those two, they probably are." Pyrrha giggled.

After a few more painstaking minutes of hilariously poor acting, Winter descended the staircase, wearing a casual pair of fatigue pants and a black UNSC T-shirt. Her hair, as usual, was tied back in a bun with her bangs covering her right eye. "How's the movie?" She asked.

"Cringe-worthy." Coco responded. "It's the best."

Winter laughed. "Ivan had me watch that stupid movie… it's so bad. Whoever 'directed' _The Room_ needs to be put in prison." Winter laughed, remembering all of the horrid acting by the director/producer/writer/star. "Looks like you're enjoying yourself, Weiss." Winter noted the rather rigid posture that Weiss was sitting in. She looked like a statue compared to the others on or around the couch.

"It's funny." Weiss half-responded.

Winter smirked. "Well, how about I take you on that tour of the Base I promised yesterday?" The elder Schnee suggested.

Weiss shrugged. "Sure… want to come along, Ruby?"

Ruby shrugged. "I should probably stay and make sure Ivan and Yang don't blow up the house."

Weiss seemed dejected for the slightest moment, only Winter catching sight of it. Everyone else was too engrossed in the laughably bad movie. "Okay…" Weiss said, standing up and moving over towards Winter.

"Have fun, Weiss!" Ruby called out as she turned around, smiling to the heiress. Weiss returned the smile, but something about it seemed forced. Did she do something wrong?

"Bye, Ruby." Weiss responded as she made her way out of the front door with her sister. Something about that seemed awfully final… Ruby didn't like it at all.

Thanks to that feeling, Ruby decided that she needed something to take her mind off of everything. She figured that the still-occurring sounds of metal striking metal from the garage was a good enough excuse to leave for a bit. "I'm gonna go check on Yang and Ivan. I'll be right back."

With that, Ruby jogged over to the door leading into the garage. From the screen on the wall she heard the horribly-accented star actor say "Ohai Mark!", followed by a few laughs from the couples still on the couch. Ruby smiled slightly as she opened the door, and stepped into the garage.

She was greeted by some music that was playing over a speaker on the top of a workbench. It was a song that she had heard Ivan listen to on more than one occasion. The heavy guitar riffs and drum beat played throughout the garage, the gritty vocals joining the instrumentation.

 _"_ _Brothers in arms, are you ready for the stand._

 _Blood on the ground, and mud on your hands._

 _Take another breath, and make another try._

 _You think you're gonna break, even think you're gonna die._

 _Get off the dirt and listen to the crowd, screaming your name, screamin' out loud._

 _I know you think you can't, I know you think you're done._

 _We can't stop until we've won."_

She saw Ivan and Yang standing over a workbench, one thing in particular standing out to her almost immediately. Yang's prosthetic arm was sitting on some sort of clamp, a lot of the circuitry and synthetic muscle exposed. "Can we make it even stronger?" Yang asked.

"Only if you want the thing to overheat." Ivan retorted, fiddling with the carbon fiber plate that covered the forearm of the cybernetic. "Unless you want to spend a few thousand Creds on an arm like mine, you're going to have to settle with only being strong enough to punch through steel."

"What in the world are the two of you doing?" Ruby asked, a small smile on her face.

"'Sup, Rubes." Yang said, glancing over and looking to her sister. "We're doing some… tinkering."

"Yang wanted my help modifying her arm." Ivan said, re-attaching the plates to the arm. "Try that out." He said, hoisting up the arm and placing it back into the docking port on her shoulder, where her implant then clasped down on the joint and re-integrated it into her body. "And no Semblance this time, I want to see how good it does on its own."

"Done and done." Yang said, smirking as she rolled her shoulder. Ruby watched with interest as her half-sister walked over to a metal plate that was suspended on the wall. The blue-ish tint to the metal marking it as a plate of Titanium, at least four inches in thickness. Yang took a deep breath, reared back her cybernetic arm, and sent a wicked punch into the metal plate. With a loud clang, her metal fist connected with the metal plate, leaving a nasty dent in the alloyed metal. It warped the back of the plate into a rough mold of her clenched fist. It very nearly punched clean through one of the strongest metal plates she had ever seen. Ruby was stunned.

"Okay… that is pretty fuckin' awesome." Yang said, giving her fingers an experimental flex to make sure she didn't break anything important. Everything looked to be in working order.

"Still not quite as good as mine." Ivan retorted with a broad smile, standing up and mirroring the blonde's actions on the same plate. He punched into a non-warped part of the plate, his fist punching clean through, sending shards of metal clattering to the floor. He pulled his arm back through the metal plate, flexing his fingers. "Then again, I'm kinda cheating… I am a SPARTAN, after all."

"And your arm is military-grade." Yang added, smiling broadly at the spalled metal.

"Yours can almost match mine, and that's just with the factory chassis… Misriah hooked you up, man." Ivan laughed.

"You two have been punching metal for the past hour?" Ruby asked.

"We've been beating metal to a pulp for the past hour." Yang corrected. "Thanks, Ivan."

"No problem." The SPARTAN responded, collecting his cybertech tools and placing them back into their little nylon kitbag. "Gave me an excuse to bust these out again… haven't needed them since I tried installing a plasma pistol into my arm."

"Wait… what?" Yang and Ruby both asked at the same time.

"Yeah…" Ivan said, sighing. "I tried to rig a Covvie plasma pistol into my palm… didn't have the space though, sadly."

"You're insane." Ruby said, amazed at the sheer thought of putting a plasma pistol into a robotic arm. On the other hand… that gave her a few ideas for Crescent Rose.

"Oh, believe me, I know." Ivan said, tossing the Cybertech kit back onto the workbench. "Just testing that Sinoviet tech, I didn't actually expect it to work… How's Tommy Wiseau?" Ivan asked, referencing the movie that was still playing in the living room.

"Oh, it's horrible, but it's hilarious!" Ruby said, laughing. "Where did you find it?"

"It's a… 'classic'." Ivan chuckled. "You know it's a good kinda' bad when a documentary is made about it."

Ruby smiled again, but it was replaced by a slightly saddened look a moment later. She still had that nagging feeling in her chest about Weiss, she just couldn't shake it. Like clockwork, Yang's sisterly instincts kicked into full gear. "Something wrong, Rubes?" Yang asked.

Ruby thought for a moment. She wanted _so desperately_ to confide in someone about this. After a moment, she decided that her older sister and one of her best friends ever would be a safe bet. She blushed slightly. "C-Can I ask you something, Yang?"

"Of course, Ruby, what's up?" Yang asked, pulling her younger sister over to one of the stools that she and Ivan had been using.

"How did you… know that you liked Blake?" Ruby asked.

Yang seemed taken aback by the sudden question. Despite her usual nature, she could sense that something was really eating Ruby up, so she decided to give a legitimate, meaningful response. After a moment of thought, she shrugged. "I dunno… I just kinda… did. It was like a gut feeling, ya' know?" Ruby nodded, blushing slightly. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious." Ruby responded a bit too quickly for Yang to simply take that for face value.

"Ruby… you know you can tell me anything." Yang reminded the young brunette.

"Did you guys want me to leave?" Ivan asked, seeing that this was obviously an important discussion.

"No! No, not at all." Ruby responded, shaking her head. "I… I kinda want your thoughts too."

Ivan nodded, returning to listening.

"Does my little sister have a crush on someone?" Yang asked, a broad smile crossing her lips.

"A little bit…" Ruby squeaked out, earning an even more toothy grin from Yang.

"It sounds like more than just a 'little crush'." Yang said, leaning forward. "Who's the lucky guy? Fox? Yatsuhashi?"

"N-No!" Ruby responded.

"Is it Ivan?" Yang asked. That actually earned a giggle from Ruby.

"No, he's already spoken for, anyways…" Ruby said, smiling to Ivan, who laughed. "It's uhm…" The rest of Ruby's response was mumbled, and completely unintelligible, even to Ivan's acute hearing.

"Who is it?!" Yang asked, practically bounding in excitement. "I can't believe it! My little sister's first crush!" Yang wrapped Ruby in a hug. "You've gotta tell me, or I'm not gonna stop pestering you!"

"It's… really embarrassing." Ruby tried to deflect the question.

"Trust me, it can't be more embarrassing than Ivan and Winter's little crush." Yang said.

"Hey!" Ivan defended.

"I-I just don't know if they can even… like me in that way." Ruby half-explained.

"How can you know if you don't even try?" Yang asked. "What's the worst that can happen? They say no?"

"Well.. we're both… you know, girls." Ruby whispered.

Yang's hand immediately moved to cover her mouth. "Oh…"

"Yang…" Ruby started.

"My… GOD!" Yang practically shouted. Thankfully, the music likely drowned out her shout to anyone outside of the garage. This time, Yang's embrace picked Ruby up from the ground. "You're too adorable!"

"Yang, please." Ruby said, trying to get breath into her lungs.

"Oh…" Yang said, apologetically as she let Ruby down. "Sorry, but it's just so awesome!" Yang was practically bounding in place. "I had no idea you liked girls!"

"I'll admit, it's a bit of a surprise, even for me." Ivan added.

Ruby's face turned the same shade of red as her cloak. "See? _Super_ embarrassing."

"Oh… sorry, Rubes." Yang apologized again. Ruby simply shook her head. "Well… who is it?"

"Do you promise not to tell _anyone_? Even Blake?" Ruby asked.

"You have my sisterly word." Yang said, nodding.

"I won't even tell Winter." Ivan said. "Not until you're ready to openly talk about it."

"Okay…" Ruby took a deep breath to compose herself. "It's… it's Weiss… I have a huge crush on Weiss."

Ivan looked surprised, and Yang simply looked ecstatic. "How long?" Yang asked.

"Like… ever since the end of the Tournament." Ruby answered.

"You've been sitting on this that long?" Yang asked.

"It's not like she could ever like me." Ruby said, shrugging with a grim smile on her face. "There's no way she isn't straight."

"You don't know that."

"Yang… she's _Weiss_." Ruby responded, an eyebrow cocked.

"The two of you spent almost every waking moment together on Earth." Ivan responded. "Not to mention all the time you've been spending together since she got back."

Ruby hated when her own defenses that she had built up were knocked down. "I mean… even if she _could_ like me, why would she? She's so perfect and I'm… well, I'm me."

"Ruby, don't put yourself down." Ivan said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Anyone would be the luckiest person in the whole damned Galaxy to have you. You and Weiss have been friends for a long time."

"That's exactly why I… really don't think it'd work." Ruby said, sadly. "I don't want to lose that… what would she do if I asked her out and she wasn't even able to be attracted to me? I don't want to lose one of my best friends over a stupid crush… dumb hormones…"

The look on Ruby's face, coupled with the tears that were threatening to break free from Ruby's eyes, broke Yang's heart. Without a moment of hesitation, Yang pulled Ruby into a gentle hug. That one gesture alone broke the floodgates down, and a soft sob escaped from the normally-upbeat brunette's lips. "Shh, it's alright, Rubes."

"It's not!" Ruby made out after another sob. "Everyone else is so lucky! Why'd I have to be like this?! Why couldn't I just… why can't I just be like a normal girl?"

"Because you're not normal, Ruby…" Yang consoled, running her hand in comforting circles along Ruby's back. "You're one of the happiest, most wonderful people ever! Seeing you like this kills me."

Ruby's sniffle caused Yang to hold onto her sister just a bit tighter. "Neither of us can tell you exactly what to do, that part's up to you."

"Real helpful." Ruby's broken-up and muffled voice came from Yang's shoulder, where her face was buried.

"You didn't let me finish." Yang responded. "The best advice I can give you is to just… as cliché as it sounds, follow your heart. Do whatever you think is right." Yang placed a quick kiss to the top of Ruby's head. "I love you, Rubes, and I'm with you. I know exactly what you're going through. I'll be with you every step of the way, and I think Ivan's with you too. You can always come to us about anything."

Ruby lifted her head from Yang's shoulder, streaks running down her normally-smiling cheeks. "S-So, I should just follow my gut?"

"It's what they taught us at Beacon. Believe it or not, it works here too." Yang said, smiling slightly. "You do what you think is right."

"And you can always talk with us about it." Ivan added.

Ruby sniffled again, pulling back from Yang's hug. A small smile broke across her features, and she quickly pulled the two into a hug. "Thanks, guys… thank you so much."

"Of course, Rubes…" Yang said, hugging Ivan and Ruby.

Ivan returned the hug. "I'm always here for you, Ruby… you and Yang are like sisters to me. Hell, I'd go so far as to say I love you guys."

"Thanks, Ivan." Ruby pulled back from the hug. "I-I think I need to give this some thought."

"We'll be here if you need us." Yang said, giving her sister a warm smile.

"Thanks, guys." Ruby said, wiping her cheeks with the back of her sleeve. "I'm… gonna to my room and think for a little bit."

"Good luck, Ruby." Ivan said, smiling.

Ruby smiled and jogged back towards the door, and back into the house. Yang turned to Ivan, and it was clear that she had been on the verge of tears. "Thanks, Ivan."

"Don't sweat it, blondie." Ivan said, giving Yang a quick side-hug. "Like I said, the two of you are like sisters to me."

"Well, I'm glad to have you, big bro." Yang said, smiling. Ivan returned the smile.

"She'll figure it out… she always does."

XXXXX

 **February 6, 2683; 1321 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Weiss followed her sister past a small patrol of ODSTs that were walking the perimeter of the base. Each of the armored soldiers gave a salute as they passed, due to Winter's rank. "Why did you say you offered me a tour of the base?" Weiss asked, knowing full well that Winter had made no such offer before they had left.

Winter seemed thoughtful for a moment. "You looked uncomfortable… I figured you may wish to talk?"

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked, unsure of her sister's intention.

"You looked… sad when Ruby said she didn't want to join us." Winter responded, looking down to her younger sister as she walked.

Weiss tensed up slightly, but did her best not to let it show. She had no idea of Winter caught that, and it scared her a bit, for some reason. "She's probably already seen the whole base… you've lived here for a while, after all."

"That doesn't explain why you were sad." Winter pointed out.

Weiss sighed. "It's just… she's my friend, she's usually practically glued to my side."

"I seem to remember you calling her a, and I quote, 'idiotic, clumsy dolt' when you talked with me back when you were still attending Beacon." Winter responded.

"That was… before I got to know her." Weiss said with a noncommittal shrug.

"You really missed her, didn't you?" Winter asked.

"Yes… I really did." Weiss said, a small frown on her face. "We… dare I say, had a lot of fun when we went on that trip to Earth. I hadn't seen her for almost a year, and it all just seems… different."

"What do you mean?"

"It's just… she seems more distant…" Weiss explained.

"Like you said, it's been almost a year."

"That's part of the problem… I missed _everything_!" Weiss declared. "I missed a whole year with my friends, the first real friends I've ever had, all because Father wanted to keep me in that posh prison he called our home!"

"Weiss…"

"Now I get this stupid damned tightening in my stomach every time I'm around Ruby, I fumble over my words like an absolute idiot, and I feel like a _fucking_ stranger around my best friends!" Winter was slightly taken aback. It was _very_ rare for Weiss to swear, let alone twice in one sentence. Weiss, in her emotionally-fueled rambling, simply continued. "Father ripped me away from the things I _loved_ just so I could be married off and pop out an heir for the Company! Damnit, I knew it was coming, but I didn't want to face it! Then there it was, just slapping me in my face!"

"That sorry excuse for a 'Father' nearly cost me the first real friends I'd ever made! Every other 'friend' I've ever had has only cared about two things: My name and our family's money! They'd bend over backwards, accommodate everything I'd ask for, all because they wanted to marry into this fucked-up dynasty Father built! Everyone back at the house? They're my friends because they actually _care_ , and I care about them! Father wouldn't hear any of it! All he would say was 'It's for your safety, Weiss'. Not even three days after I get back to Atlas, I'm introduced to a suitor! It was never for my happiness, hell it wasn't even for my safety like he said it was, it was all for him!"

The two had stopped walking, and were now standing beside one of the many buildings on the base's grounds. Weiss, tears streaming down her face, simply slumped against the wall. Without missing a beat, Winter sat down against the wall, her hand resting on Weiss' knee. The two simply sat in silence for a moment, the only noise coming from the various military vehicles that were moving about the base, all of them muffled thanks to the distance.

After a few minutes, Weiss spotted a Pelican slowly makings its way into a hanger for maintenance. Seeing this, she spoke up. "He hated them."

"What?" Winter asked.

"He hated all of the UNSC and their technology…" Weiss explained. "Thought they were ugly, thought the UNSC was just going to exploit us…" Weiss gave a spiteful chuckle. "Idiot." Winter let a small smile cross her lips.

"Every time I'd see a Pelican or a Broadsword… I'd just think about what you guys were all probably doing while I was stuck playing 'daddy's girl'… going to galas, putting that façade back on. God, it was infuriating."

Winter simply let Weiss vent, knowing very well how to deal with her sister. "I still remember the time Thorne visited me, not long after I arrived back in Atlas. He had this look in his eye… like he was apologizing without saying anything. I still think Father dragged me to all of the gatherings at the UEG Embassy in Atlas just to spite me, but Thorne was there every time… he'd always ask how I was doing and do his best to keep me updated." Weiss scoffed. "Even he cared more than Father ever did."

"Father used to be different." Winter said, speaking up for the first time in a while. "He used to… actually want us to be happy. He tried to do the same thing to me when I turned sixteen… that's why I joined the Military. Then he threw everything onto you. I… can't help but feel like I'm responsible for this."

"Winter, don't say that!" Weiss declared.

"Like I said, I can't help it." Winter said with a grim smile. "However irrational it may be."

Weiss smiled, then pulled the taller Schnee sister into a hug. "Thanks, Winter… you've always been there when I needed to vent. I feel a lot better."

"Anything for Mein Kleine Weiss." Winter responded, returning the hug.

After a few minutes of amicable silence, Weiss asked a question that had been nagging at her. "Did… Father ever try to get you to, you know, date anyone?"

"Twice, yes." Winter said, chuckling. "I hated the both of them. Snotty little boys who tried _so desperately_ to win me over. There were lavish gifts, flowers, poems, even a serenade… I just never found myself even remotely attracted to them. It seems like the Schnee women share more than just a Semblance." She playfully nudged Weiss with her elbow.

Weiss laughed. "He certainly did… slimy excuse for a human being, Father. He tried so hard to find a 'suitable' man for me." Winter grimaced at the thought. "I had to put up with one of them for almost three months… nearly stabbed him for getting a bit too touchy a few times."

"Please don't go into detail, or I might have to request some shore leave so I can go to Earth and shoot Jacques myself." Winter added with a laugh.

"Please, be my guest." Weiss returned the laugh. "At least now I can actually… try to find someone that _I_ like, for once."

Winter smirked. "Anyone in particular come to mind?" Weiss would normally fire back with a snarky comment, but she found herself blushing just a bit. "That'd be a 'yes' if I've ever seen one. Who is it?"

"I'd really rather not say…" Weiss said, blushing even further.

"Alright, I won't press." Winter said, nodding. "You can always talk with me, though. Who knows, I might even have some advice."

Weiss scoffed. "With how awkward you and Ivan were, _you_ might have advice?"

Winter smiled. "You wound me so, sister. What Ivan and I have is working _very_ well, so I can probably give some advice. For me to do that, though, you'd have to tell me who you've got your eye on." Winter's mind immediately back-tracked to the rant Weiss had gone on, one thing practically flashing a light before her eyes. " _Now I get this stupid damned tightening in my chest whenever I'm around Ruby_ ".

"Wait…" Winter said, her eyes widening slightly. "Is it Ruby?"

Winter thought she had seen Weiss blush before, but she went _beet_ red. "W-What?! What makes you say that?!"

"I think your face speaks _a lot_ more than you did about Ruby in your little rant, Weiss." Winter said, smirking as Weiss clamped her mouth shut.

Weiss rested her head on her knees. "Gah! Fine, it's Ruby…" Weiss sighed. "I always denied it, hearing Mother and Father go off about 'degeneracy' and all of that trash."

"I guess that explains why you never found any of the suitors attractive." Winter mused.

"I guess it does…" Weiss gave a somewhat hollow chuckle. "A Schnee heiress, a dyke… I can practically picture Father screaming at me while Mother's off in the other room, crying."

"It's alright to keep it a secret, but you shouldn't try to change yourself because of something so idiotic." Winter consoled, pulling Weiss into a hug. "You like Ruby, so what?"

"That's just it… She's the _only_ person that makes me feel so… weird." Weiss said, sighing. "And she probably doesn't even _think_ of me in that way."

"How can you know that if you don't at least try?" Winter asked.

"I don't want to try because I don't want to ruin my first real friendship!" Weiss declared, huffing. "Why would I want to lose my best friend over a stupid crush?"

"You'll want to _try_ because you'll live the rest of your life wondering 'what if' if you don't." Winter explained. "Ruby might be a bit… awkward, but I really doubt she'd stop being your friend just because you have a crush on her that she can't return. She's too nice for that."

"That's the other thing!" Weiss announced. "She's so nice and I'm so… me. I was called 'Ice Queen' at Beacon, you know."

"And Qrow's called me 'Ice Queen' more than once before, and we're… kinda friends."

"But Ruby deserves someone just as nice, and caring, and wonderful as she is! She doesn't deserve someone like me." Weiss said, that dejected look returning to her face.

"She's your friend, isn't she?" Winter asked, earning a nod from Weiss. "So she obviously likes you in _some_ way. You said it yourself, everyone back at the house is genuine, and wants to be your friend."

Weiss seemed thoughtful for a moment, then sighed. "I'll… have to think about it a bit."

"That's all I'm saying, just think about it." Winter agreed. "Now let's head back, I think that's more than enough heart-to-heart for one day."

"No disagreements from me." Weiss said, standing up.

XXXXX

 **February 6, 2683; 1332 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Ruby walked through the door, and into the room that she and Weiss shared. It was quite clear that there was a division in the room. One side was immaculately clean and organized, and the other looked like a hurricane slammed into it and scattered clothes all around. Weiss had been pestering her to clean everything on her side of the room up, but she just hadn't gotten around to it.

She noted the little box she had picked up during their trip into Mistral. Tomorrow, Weiss turned twenty, so Ruby had decided to buy her a gift. She knew that Weiss hated things like that, but she simply couldn't help herself. She had tucked it away in her corner of the closet.

As she walked past the small white desk that Weiss kept her computer on, she noticed something. It was a small white book, left open. At first, she wrote it off as a book that Weiss was reading, but that assumption flew out the window when she saw the beautiful, flowing handwriting on the pages. She immediately recognized it as Weiss' handwriting.

Ruby figured that it was her diary. She had seen Weiss writing in it late at night back in their dorm at Beacon. She really did respect Weiss' privacy, but when she saw her name on the page, she found herself locked in a battle between that respect and her boundless curiosity. Despite herself, her curiosity won the battle.

She glanced down at the page, which was marked with yesterday's date. She gave a cursory once-over of the words on the page, one passage in specific grabbing her attention.

 _I really don't know, so I might as well put this in here. This is the first time I've written in this stupid diary in months, but I really don't know where else to go. I suppose I should start with the thing that's been nagging at me for the past few days: I'm deathly in love with Ruby Rose._

Ruby's jaw dropped open as she read over the last sentence. She let out a happy squeal, bounding in place. After months of bottling this up, she learned that Weiss _actually_ had a crush on her. Sure, she was technically breaching one of the most sacred form of trust between friends, but that thought didn't even cross her mind. She was simply too ecstatic.

"Oh my god!" Ruby squealed, all of her energy seeming to come out at once. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!"

It took her far longer than she'd like to admit to finally calm down. She simply let out a sigh. She couldn't believe it! The person that she had fawned over for the longest time was not only crushing on her, but she said that she was _deathly in love_. Ruby's mind raced at the speed of her Semblance, thinking of all of the possible ways to ask Weiss. Once one idea crossed her mind, she knew _exactly_ what she would do. Weiss' birthday was tomorrow, and Ruby had the _best_ idea ever.


	30. Chapter 30: Something More

**Chapter 30: Something More**

 **February 7, 2683; 0900 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

How Ruby managed to fall asleep was well beyond her, but somehow she did. Ruby somehow managed to remain calm and collected around Weiss when she and Winter returned from their walk around the airbase… at least, she hoped she was collected. If Weiss thought anything different, she didn't say anything about it.

She, surprisingly, woke up first. Usually, she was sluggish waking up. Today was vastly different, however. Not only was it her best friend's birthday, but she had something planned. As her silver eyes shot open in excitement, she found herself to be looking at the back of Weiss' head, peeking over the covers slightly. Her ivory hair was slightly disheveled from turning in her sleep. Ruby grinned as she stood up, quietly, and made her way over to her side of the closet, pulling the small white box out from beneath its concealment under one of her dresses that she haphazardly tossed into the closet.

Silently, she made her way back over to the bed, and sat down cross-legged on the mattress. She set the box down behind her, and lightly shook Weiss' shoulder. "Weiss… Weiss, wake up." She half-whispered, hoping not to irritate the girl.

It was quite evident that her strategy worked, as Weiss rolled over, one eye cracked open. "Yes, Ruby?" She asked, sounding only slightly irritated in her still-groggy state.

"Happy birthday!" Ruby said, her smile broad.

"Thank you, Ruby." Weiss said, sitting up and letting her hair straighten itself out slightly. She pushed the ivory locks back behind her ears as she sat upright, seeing that she had slept in a bit.

"I… erm, I got you something!" Ruby said, happily. "Well, two things, actually."

Weiss gave her partner a look that showed just how serious she was. "Ruby, you know I don't like making a big deal about my birthday."

"I know, I know." Ruby said, holding her hands out. "But you're twenty now, and I really wanted to get you something special. It's nothing huge, I promise."

Weiss simply smiled at the act of pure kindness and thoughtfulness. She had come to expect things like this from Ruby, and was so unbelievably happy that she had someone like this as her friend. "Alright, only if you absolutely insist." Weiss held a finger up to accent her next point. "But I swear, Ruby Rose, if you spent a lot of Lien on this…"

"It's nothing crazy expensive, I promise." Ruby consoled, reaching a hand behind her back and producing a small white box, wrapped in a pale blue ribbon. "Happy birthday, Weiss."

Weiss took the box in her hands, then glanced up to Ruby, who was looking at her expectantly. Weiss suppressed a light laugh at the sight of Ruby's almost puppy-dog look, and set to unwrapping the gift. As she carefully pulled the ribbon off from the box, she lifted the lid off. She was absolutely stunned by what she saw sitting on the red velvet bottom of the box.

It was a silver necklace, the pendant in the center almost looking like the Schnee family emblem, but the edges of the snowflake were more resembling that of an actual snowflake. In the center of the snowflake was a small flower, looking to be a rose. Around the edge of the snowflake, there looked to be blue Dust infused into the metal itself, giving it a slight blue glow. Around the edge of the rose, red Dust was infused, causing the rose to have a slightly glowing red outline to it. Weiss was stunned, it was beautiful. "Ruby…" She started, finding herself cut off by the energetic brunette.

"Do you like it?" Ruby asked, excitedly. "I saw that you stopped wearing that little necklace when you got back, and seeing you without a necklace was kinda weird, so I got you-"

"Ruby, I love it." Weiss said, pulling the small piece of jewelry from its container and holding it in her own hand. "It's beautiful."

" _It's not the only thing that's beautiful._ " Ruby thought to herself as Weiss smiled, snapping the necklace into place around her neck. Ruby blushed as she found herself pulled into a hug by Weiss, a hug that she returned with no hesitation. "I'm glad you like it… it took forever to find the perfect one."

"Well, it's the perfect one." Weiss says, releasing Ruby. The blush goes unnoticed in the still somewhat dark room. "This second gift you mentioned better not be expensive either."

Weiss definitely noticed the blush this time, her eyebrow cocked in a questioning manner. "Trust me… that one's straight from the heart, no money involved."

"Good." Weiss said. "I'm not letting you spend any more of your money on me."

"O-okay." Ruby managed to make out. "Let's go see if everyone else is up." Everything still looked to be going to plan.

XXXXX

 **February 7, 2683; 0921 Hours**

 **Remnant, Orbit (ONI Planetary Headquarters, Designation: Remnant-2)**

Thorne stormed through the metallic halls of Remnant-2, the orbital installation designated for ONI's use. It was a massive sprawling orbital construct, containing high-value prisoners, criminals, ONI targets, ONI personnel, and a full garrison of ONI agents, many of them SPARTANs, ODSTs and Marines placed under the direct command of ONI, or civilian contractors from the Core Worlds and Inner Colonies. Today, his job wasn't to file paperwork to send back to Earth, he had a far more important job.

He walked through the Detention Wing of the station, two SPARTAN operatives in black armor walking on either side of him. He had waited over a year to finally wrap this charade up, and reading that order from the President gave him an almost childish glee that he hadn't experienced in years.

He walked up to one of the heavily reinforced titanium doors on the cellblock, placing his cybernetic retina against the scanner and letting it confirm his identity. After a momentary scan, he was cleared for entrance. As he stepped back, the door slid open, and he strolled inside. Lying down on a metallic bed, with only a thin sheet separating the woman and the metal, was Emerald Sustrai. The two SPARTANs stood on either end of the door, as Thorne set about to unbuttoning his suit's jacket. "Have you given my offer some thought?" Thorne asked.

"It's either talk, or you 'Compose' me… whatever that means." Emerald said, staring at the wall from her lying position. "Pretty one-sided offer."

"Answer the question."

"I'll talk, fine." Emerald muttered, sitting upright and staring at Thorne, whose jacket was draped over his right shoulder.

"Good." Thorne said. "Go on."

"Cinder never outright said _why_ she was doing this… but she always said that she wanted to be strong… wanted to be feared." Emerald explained, earning a nod from Thorne. "One time, I overheard her talking with someone… she called them Salem."

"Salem?" Thorne asked, his posture relaxing somewhat. Try as he might, he couldn't see any sign that Emerald was being dishonest.

"I've got no idea who that is… neither does Mercury. She was talking to Neo."

"The mute?"

"Yes." Emerald responded, nodding.

"You know nothing else?"

"No… And Neo won't talk, she never has." Emerald answered.

Thorne nodded, surprised that Emerald and Mercury corroborated the _exact_ same story. Either Emerald was a very good lair, and had this entire story planned out from the start, or this was the honest truth. He was leaning towards the latter. Her story had changed several times since she arrived on this station. Eventually, the story started to mirror Mercury's almost identically. Now, they were carbon copies of one another, despite having no contact the entire time. There was no way they could ever have had contact, Mercury was detained over Earth.

"Good…" Thorne said, staring at Emerald. "Finally, I get something that matches Mercury's story out of you. He's been far more… receptive to us. I'm glad you've finally come around."

"That means I'm not getting 'Composed', or whatever you called it?"

"Indeed."

"Will my sentence be changed?" Emerald asked, the slightest glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"That was never a part of the deal." Thorne said.

"So what, public execution then?" Emerald asked, the sudden realization of her impending doom slamming down on her.

Thorne scoffed. "Please, don't be ridiculous. We aren't savages." Without missing a beat, Thorne's free hand drew a M6S Magnum from its holster on his right side. In a blindingly quick motion, he leveled the handgun towards Emerald, firing seven shots in quick succession, all of them slotting in clean through her forehead. Unceremoniously, her body slumped over onto the bed, blood pooling from the exit wounds in the back of her head.

Thorne let out a satisfied sigh, slotting the magnum back into its holster. "Vent her into the star and get this cell cleaned up."

"Aye, Sir!" One of the SPARTANs said, nodding as Thorne made his way out of the cell. He still had a schedule after all, he couldn't be the one flying all the way over to Remnant's native star to dump a corpse into the nuclear crucible. He had a party to attend, after all.

XXXXX

 **February 7, 2683; 0912 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Ruby and Weiss made their way out of their room, looking around the dark hallway. Surprisingly for Weiss, all of the lights in the house were off, and it was absolutely _pitch_ darkness, even all of the windows were closed and the shutters were drawn. "What in the world?" Weiss asked.

"Maybe everyone went out?" Ruby asked, trying not to sound obvious. She had planned all of this, after all.

"Yang going out… at nine in the morning?" Weiss asked, her eyebrow cocked.

Ruby shrugged. "Maybe."

The two felt around for the railing of the staircase, slowly making their way down the darkened steps. Once they reached the bottom of the steps, Weiss heard Ruby clear her throat for some strange reason. A moment later, it became clear why she did.

All of the lights in the living room turned on. Everyone that Weiss had come to call a friend over the past few years popped up from behind furniture, singing.

 _"_ _Happy birthday, congratulations._

 _Happy birthday, with salutations._

 _Happy birthday, may your skies stay blue!_

 _Happy birthday to you!"_

Weiss simply stared as Yang and Blake placed a white cake down on the coffee table, grinning wildly at the Heiress' incredulous look. "Happy birthday, Weiss!" Everyone shouted.

Weiss blushed, seeing that all eyes were focused on her. She was certainly taken aback by the suddenness of it all. She simply looked over to Ruby, who had also joined in on the singing. "Did you put them all up to this?"

"No comment." Ruby responded, smiling.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Dolt."

"But I'm _your_ dolt." Ruby responded.

Weiss smirked. "That, you are."

"C'mon!" Ruby said, tugging Weiss over to the celebration.

Weiss was amazed that she actually enjoyed the small celebration for her twentieth birthday. She had gotten to celebrate her eighteenth at Beacon, which was a very small affair among Team RWBY. It went nowhere beyond wishes of a happy birthday, then the day's classes, and that was it. Her nineteenth was spent at the Schnee Estate in Atlas in absolute misery. That was the day she was reminded of her place in the Schnee dynasty, had her precious rapier stowed away in her room, and was confined to Atlas unless her father gave her express permission to leave. This one was markedly different.

She was spending her twentieth birthday with friends. Not phony businessmen, but actual friends that would, and sometimes have, thrown themselves into danger to protect her. These friends had stood by her for almost her entire time at Beacon and beyond. It almost felt like a dream, being torn away from her home in Atlas to be reunited with all of these wonderful people. Above all, she was just happy to… be happy again. Perhaps standing over everything else, was her finally being reunited with her wonderful, bubbly, happy, and caring best friend.

So far, no one other than Ruby had given her a gift, but she didn't care. Simply being around everyone she cared about was more than enough of a gift for her after enduring absolute hell for a year. She watched as the clockwork of Remnant kept ticking, even without her, for almost a full year, and she wanted _so desperately_ to be a part of it again. Now, despite her initial reservations over the UEG handing her company over to Misriah for the time being, she couldn't be happier. She was back with the people she cared about, doing something that actually mattered: fighting.

As the celebration eventually died down into casual conversation, everyone with the exception of Ivan seemed surprised as the soft tone of the doorbell rang out, prompting Ivan to excuse himself and move to open the door. From outside, Agent Thorne walked in, a cardboard box cradled in the crook of his right arm. "Looks like I'm a little late. Sorry, got tied up at the Office."

"Thorne?" Weiss asked, looking over. "What're you doing here?"

"Ivan told me that it was someone's birthday today." Thorne answered with a shrug. "Figured it was only proper to at least drop by for a few minutes before ONI shipped my ass back off to Patch for a few weeks. I brought a few presents, too."

"What's in the box?" Weiss asked as Thorne walked in, placing the cardboard box down on the edge of the breakfast bar.

"A few things that we dug up in the investigation that I figured you'd want." Thorne answered. "Not really gifts, since they were yours to begin with, but close enough." Thorne rummaged around inside for a moment, producing a Scroll. "For one, I found your old Scroll locked away in a safe in your Father's office. He installed a pretty intense security system on it, but Merlin managed to crack it." At a look of concern, Thorne tossed the small device to Weiss, who deftly caught it. "Don't worry, nobody's looked into what was on the Scroll, not even Merlin. Hasn't even been turned on since we cracked it."

Thorne pulled a small piece of black metal out of the box, rolling it around in his hand. "I found this picture… Looks like all of you in front of a certain SPARTAN's home in Sydney." He gently placed it back into the box, turning back to Weiss. "Beyond that, we found a few other pictures from Earth, what looked like some parts to your rapier, some notebooks, a UEG Credit Chit with some transactions from Sydney on its record, and other small miscellaneous stuff that I figured you might want."

"Oh… thank you, Thorne." Weiss said, surprised at the gesture. She slid her old Scroll back into its proper home in her pocket.

"No problem." Thorne said, waving a hand dismissively. "I'd say I'm like this planet's Santa Claus, but it's February."

"What else have you delivered to the good boys and girls of Remnant, Thorne?" Yang asked.

"Not much, but I've dropped some pretty big, fast, and deadly lumps of coal down from Orbit on more than one occasion." Thorne fired back with his own witty remark.

"You said that you were going back to Patch…" Ruby noted. "What for?"

"A few… meetings." Thorne responded. "Classified, otherwise."

"Of course it is." Yang said, smiling.

"That's the name of the game with ONI." Thorne returned. "By the way… you might want to avoid the public eye for a bit, Weiss… unless you like the paparazzi, that is."

"Why?" Weiss asked.

"ONI officially released the story on the SDC's investigation last night." Thorne answered. "Media's been going crazy here on Remnant."

"Thanks for the warning." Weiss responded, sighing. "I've dealt with them before."

"I wish you luck." Thorne said with a smirk.

Thorne joined in on the celebration for a short while, simply sitting on the couch and talking with everyone. For the first time, everyone present saw Thorne not as the shady ONI Agent that gave them their missions, but as a genuine friend. He seemed far more relaxed than usual, and far more informal. About an hour after his arrival, he sighed and stood upright. "Alright… I need to get going, timetables and all."

"Bye Thorne!" Ruby called out as Thorne recovered his suit jacket from the back of a chair.

"See you guys later." Thorne said, giving Ivan a nod as he walked towards the door. "Try not to cause too much trouble while I'm on Patch."

"No promises!" Yang called out.

"I've come to expect nothing less from you, Yang. Keep an eye on them, please." Thorne directed to Ivan and Winter.

"Harder than it might seem. There's like fifteen of them." Ivan said,

"I wish you luck then." Thorne smiled, giving a final wave as he walked out of the front door.

XXXXX

 **February 7, 2683; 1302 Hours**

 **Remnant, Patch**

Thorne strolled up the cobblestone walkway leading to the rather large house that Tai Yang called his own. His two hour flight from Mistral was, thankfully, rather short by comparison to what he was used to. He still had the energy to carry out the first part of his objective today.

Finally arriving at the front door, he pressed the small button next to the doorframe, causing the soft tone of a doorbell to be audible through the wooden portal. After a few moments, the door opened, revealing Tai Yang on the other side, who looked surprised to see a suited ONI Agent at his front door. "Thorne?" Tai asked, eyebrow raised. "This is a bit of a surprise… is there something I can do for you?"

"There is, actually." Thorne affirmed, removing his sunglasses and sliding them into his coat. Sure, he didn't _need_ sunglasses, his eyes automatically polarized. He just wore them out of habit. "Is Qrow here?"

"Yeah, he's just inside." Tai said, stepping aside. "Come in."

"Thank you." Thorne said, stepping inside and into the air-conditioning.

Sure enough, he spotted Qrow sitting at the counter, a glass of whiskey sitting before him. There was another glass in front of the adjacent seat, showing that Tai was sitting next to him when Thorne first arrived. Qrow gave him an inquisitive look. "Something I can do for you, Agent Thorne?"

"I just wanted to talk." Thorne said, walking over and sitting in the third stool by the counter.

"Want a drink, Thorne?" Tai asked. Thorne had become quite familiar with the Xiao Long family ever since Beacon fell. He had visited Yang, Blake, and Ruby whenever he got the chance. As much as he may have tried to fight it at first, he had grown attached to that rag-tag group of Huntresses that called themselves Team RWBY.

"I'd love one, thank you." Thorne said, giving Tai a smile and a nod as a glass of whiskey was slid his way.

"So…" Qrow said, stopping himself to take a drink from his own glass. "What did you want to talk with me about?"

"I want to know why you and Ozpin kept information from me." Thorne stated, incredibly bluntly, as he looked back to Qrow. His bright blue cybernetics seeming to stare through Qrow's very being.

If Qrow was at all startled by the accusation, he didn't show it. "What do you mean?"

"Salem." Thorne responded, taking a drink.

"Where did you hear that name?" Qrow asked, his voice shifting to a deathly serious tone.

"Emerald, before I splattered her brains on a metal wall." Thorne said. "Now answer my question. Why have you been hiding information, information that is vital to the UNSC's operations here on Remnant, from me?"

Qrow looked over to Tai, who looked like a deer in headlights. He looked almost as if he was still processing what Thorne had just dropped on them. Qrow's attention shifted back to Thorne, whose eyes still bore holes through his own. Sighing, he made a split-second decision. There was no use in hiding this anymore, not with Thorne already knowing the important bits. "That information is only known to Ozpin's inner circle… but since he's not around, I'll talk with you."

"Why keep this hidden?" Thorne asked, his glare wavering now that Qrow was cooperating.

"Letting everyone know about the Grimm's 'leader' would have only made our job harder… the less people that knew about the Alpha Grimm, the better."

"It's a helluva lot more than the 'Alpha Grimm', Qrow." Thorne retorted. "This 'Salem' creature is hyper-intelligent. You hiding this for as long as you have could have jeopardized this entire planet, and everyone on it."

"So now you think you're the expert?" Qrow asked, growing somewhat irritated at the lecture on morality.

"When it comes to the Precursors, I _know_ that I'm the fucking expert!" Thorne shouted. "This godforsaken thing is an eons-old creature that a cretin would call a fucking _god_. Its kind, quite literally, created the Human species."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Qrow asked.

"Salem is a sick, twisted perversion of a Precursor." Thorne explained. "Precursors are creatures, the only that we know of that have ever achieved a Tier Zero civilization. They are barely distinguishable from gods, Qrow. They only take on a material body when they _want_ to."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Qrow asked, obviously still not grasping the gravity of the situation.

"I'll tell you exactly what this has to do with _our_ current situation." Thorne began, the glare returning. "Because you've neglected to share information on Salem, I have unknowingly sent your nieces and their friends to hunt down a god's pawn."

"We always knew that Cinder was a pawn in Salem's game." Qrow defended. "You're not the only one with agents, Thorne."

Thorne huffed. "You still don't get it… with ONI knowing the information from the beginning, we could have _saved_ Beacon. Ozpin would still be here, and all of this would be a hell of a lot easier than it is now. I've got agents scouring this fucking planet, looking for any leads at all on Cinder, and now you tell me that _you_ have an agent? What else haven't you been telling me?"

"That's everything we know." Qrow said, still leaning on the countertop.

"Bullshit, Qrow." Thorne retorted. "You've got an agent that told you _exactly_ what Cinder's role is. I know she's looking for all of these 'Maidens' with the intent to steal away some mystical power. I also know that you held one of these Maidens in stasis underneath a _goddamn school_. If you want this solved, if you want any chance of winning, you need to start working with me."

As Qrow looked over to Tai, he saw his brother-in-law give him a nod. Qrow sighed. "Fine… You already know almost everything, why the hell not?"

"Christ, thank you!" Thorne said, exasperated. "Only took you two years to finally start sharing this with me. First off, I want to talk with this agent of yours."

"That can be arranged… She'll tell you everything she knows once you meet with her." Qrow said, nodding. "But, promise me one thing."

"What?" Thorne asked, having had enough of Qrow's games for one lifetime.

"Do _not_ tell Yang when you meet her." Qrow said, earning a questioning brow-raise from Thorne.

XXXXX

 **February 7, 2683; 1731 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral**

Weiss hadn't expected the surprise party when she woke up this morning, and she certainly didn't expect to be taken to a _very_ nice restaurant in downtown Mistral. Ivan telling everyone to make sure that they dressed well for tonight was a bit unexpected, but when she arrived at the restaurant, it all made sense.

It was a beautifully decorated establishment. Crystalline chandeliers hung from the ceiling, all of the walls were trimmed with ornate golden patterns, and there was soft piano music playing from somewhere. It was a restaurant that served traditional Atlesian food, operated and owned by a world-renowned chef from Mantle. She knew this place was far from cheap, and she had no intention of letting Ivan and Winter get away with paying for everyone.

Everyone was dressed to the nines. Weiss wore a long blue, glittering dress and her normal heels. She had the necklace that Ruby had given her earlier that day clasped around her neck as well. Blake wore a simplistic long black dress and black heels, hiding her ears beneath that familiar black bow. Yang wore a mid-length white dress and white heels, going for simplicity. Ivan and Winter both wore their formal Dress Blues, sans the medals and rank pins. Both of them, despite missing their identifying markings and medals, could easily be distinguished as soldiers. Teams JNPR and CFVY both seemed to favor their old prom attire, with the exception of Jaune, who seemed to be wearing a more angular suit that would have been commonplace on Earth. The person that truly caught her eye, however, was Ruby.

Ruby wore a dress that was quite similar to the one she wore to the dance all those months ago. It was a relatively short red dress with a black sash tied around the waist. Her longer hair was done up in such a way that the red trimmings in her hair seemed to curl inwards. To Weiss, she was absolutely stunning, so much so that she felt her stomach knot up when she saw her in the full ensemble back at the house.

Despite Weiss being somewhat irritated at the fact that everyone had gone to such great lengths for her birthday, she couldn't help but enjoy herself. She was enjoying herself so much so that she almost missed the constant glances in her direction from the other opulent patrons… almost.

It seemed that Thorne was far from wrong. She had seen several major news sources cover the ONI investigation over the course of the day. Mainstream media on Remnant was practically abuzz with speculation, given that ONI still had not released _why_ they had arrested her father. Thankfully, the paparazzi hadn't found her yet, but thanks to the many people that seemed to be 'trying' to stealthily take pictures of the group, she figured that was going to change very soon.

She pushed the chilling thought of the paparazzi down, instead choosing to focus on the conversation that was buzzing lightly from her end of the table. "I thought you didn't drink, Ivan." Yang commented, causing Weiss to glance over to the SPARTAN. Indeed, he had a glass of red wine in his hand.

"I figured I'd make an exception for our favorite heiress' birthday." He said, giving Weiss a smirk.

Weiss gave a playful eye-roll, but found her attention grabbed by a question from her sister before she could give a sarcastic remark. "I just noticed, Weiss… is that a new necklace?"

Weiss smiled, her hand instinctively moving up to lightly rub a thumb across the textured rose. "It is… Ruby gave it to me." Ruby, in her infinite spastic-ness, gave a happy wave.

"Oh… really?" Winter asked, the design of the necklace's small pendant causing a grin to split her features. "It's very beautiful." Winter gave Ruby a small smile. Once she saw that Weiss' attention was directed back to Ivan, she gave the red-headed Huntress a quick wink. Ruby gave a small smile in return.

"So Weiss…" Ivan began, redirecting the Heiress' attention. "Enjoying the attention?"

Weiss gave a scoff in response. "Please…that was one of the good things about being in Atlas. The press was a lot less invasive."

"I know what you mean." Ivan gave a nod in return. "There's someone in particular that's been looking back over here for around twenty minutes." As Weiss started to look around, Ivan cleared his throat, causing her to turn back to him. "Don't look for him."

"Why?" Weiss asked.

"I don't want him to think anything of it." Ivan said, taking a sip from his glass. "Black braided ponytail, white suit, yellow eyes, human. Something about him rubs me the wrong way."

"How so?" Weiss asked. She had become rather adept at looking casual while discussing important matters, thankfully.

"He keeps glaring at Ruby and me." Ivan said.

"Should we leave?" Winter asked, already knowing the full scope of the situation thanks to her neural implant discussion with Ivan.

"Nope." Ivan said. He stopped himself as the waitress laid his food before him. He thanked her, then shifted back to the discussion once she had left the table. "Just keep acting natural." Ivan took a bite of his salmon, nodding in approval. "He's got this crazy look in his eye… something's off with him."

After a few moments, the very person that Ivan referenced walked out of the restaurant, having paid for his meal and left a rather sizable tip. "Was that him?" Weiss asked, nodding to the door.

"Yeah…" Ivan said. "It's probably nothing, just my paranoia acting up."

"Paranoia?" Weiss asked.

"I work with ONI, Weiss." Ivan said, taking a sip of wine. "I've learned to be… cautious with people like that."

"Fair enough." Weiss hummed in response. Soon after, the table returned to the quiet buzz of conversation between friends. Ivan and Winter's conversations were far more… quiet than any other.

 _"_ _So… Ruby got Weiss a necklace."_ Winter's voice came over Ivan's neural implant.

 _"_ _Indeed she did…"_ Ivan responded. _"She told you too?"_

 _"_ _Tell me?"_ Winter asked, her amused tone coming over the silent discussion. _"She asked my permission to date her."_

 _"_ _She did?!"_ Ivan asked, doing his utmost not to show any indication of his conversation with Winter. _"That's adorable."_

 _"_ _What do you think about them?"_ Winter asked.

 _"_ _I think they're adorable. In the most… strange of ways."_

 _"_ _An apt description."_ Winter agreed. _"Did Ruby tell you anything about what she was planning?"_

 _"_ _She did, but I'm sworn to an oath of secrecy."_ Ivan responded.

 _"_ _She had you swear secrecy?"_ Winter asked.

 _"_ _She did… she was kinda embarrassed about her plan when she told me, but I think it's great."_

 _"_ _Do you think she'll keep it together long enough to actually… you know?"_

 _"_ _We'll see tomorrow, I guess."_ Ivan gave a noncommittal answer. Secretly, he was grinning inside.

XXXXX

 **February 7, 2683; 2051 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Weiss tossed her scroll onto her desk with a huff. She had always hated the attention that her family name had gotten her, and that hatred was truly exemplified by the sheer amount of people that were waiting outside of the restaurant with cameras. With another heavy sigh, she flopped down on the bed. She heard the familiar sound of a Scroll clattering onto a desk, and craned her neck over to look at Ruby. Ruby looked over to her, and gave a small smile. "Tired, Weiss?"

"Like you wouldn't believe…" Weiss said, sighing. "I had fun, though."

"So did I." Ruby replied, sitting down next to Weiss. As she sat up, Weiss found herself pulled into a tight hug by Ruby. "Happy birthday, Weiss."

"Thank you, Ruby." Weiss said, her voice slightly muffled by her friend's shoulder. "Thank you for putting all of this together. And thank you for the gift."

Ruby's face brightened. "I totally forgot! The other gift!" Ruby's sudden outburst startled the heiress.

"I thought the party was the second gift?" Weiss asked.

"No, no… that was everyone's gift to you." Ruby explained. "Mine's straight from the heart, just like I said."

Weiss cocked an eyebrow as the slightest of blushes crossed Ruby's face. "Okay… so long as it didn't cost you anything."

"Weiss, I swear to you that this is not something that you can buy." Ruby said, her tone far more serious. "Now, close your eyes."

"Ruby…" Weiss began, but she was cut off by her bubbly partner.

"Close your eyes." Ruby reaffirmed.

With a light huff, Weiss closed her eyes. She really had no idea what to expect from this, but she figured that she could at least humor her friend.

Ruby's heart was pounding in her chest. She was committed now, so there was absolutely no turning back. She took a deep breath, closing her own eyes for a moment. Slowly, she closed the distance between their faces. Her blush immediately lit up her face when their lips lightly pressed together.

It took Weiss a minute to realize what was going on. Her blue eyes shot open in surprise. She couldn't believe it, Ruby had kissed her. She simply sat there in stunned, slack silence. A moment later, Ruby pulled back, her eyes fixed on Weiss'.

Seeing the stunned look on Weiss' face, her heart immediately sank into her gut. She immediately began blubbering out an apology. "W-Weiss, I-I'm so sor-" Now it was Ruby's turn to be stunned.

Weiss, after taking a moment to collect herself, immediately made the connection in her head. Ruby Rose had just kissed her. Seeing Ruby attempt to apologize to her, she immediately removed the stunned look from her face. Without a moment's hesitation, she moved to press her lips to Ruby's, who gave the most adorable little squeak in response. Weiss' heart began its struggle to beat out of her chest when her lips met with Ruby's own. The light taste of strawberry danced across her lips, and there was nothing more that she could have asked for. Her hands eventually made their way up to Ruby's shoulder, keeping her there for a bit longer.

After a few moments, Weiss' lungs cried out for air, and she gave into their demands. Pulling back, she saw the same surprised look on Ruby's face slowly turn into the faintest of smiles. "Weiss…" Ruby tried, but once again, she found herself cut off.

"Ruby Rose…" Weiss said, shaking Ruby's shoulders lightly to accent her point. "Don't you _ever_ even think about apologizing for kissing me."

"Does… does that mean you liked it?" Ruby asked, in all of her adorable innocence.

"If I didn't like it, I wouldn't have kissed you back, dolt." Weiss returned.

Ruby gave another happy squeal as she practically tackled Weiss back onto the bed. After the initial surprise of the taller girl slamming into her, Weiss recovered rather well. Eventually, the two settled. Ruby snuggled herself into Weiss' side, resting her head half on the pillow, and half on Weiss' shoulder. She had the heiress pulled into her embrace, arms wrapped around her waist.

When Weiss adjusted her head slightly, she saw a familiar look on Ruby's face. "You look like you want to ask me something…" Weiss commented.

"Does this mean… are we… you know… dating?" Ruby asked with the most adorable amount of awkwardness.

Weiss blushed, a small smile crossing her features. "I-If you want…" Weiss said, her eyes deciding that the strap of Ruby's dress was the most interesting thing in the world.

Ruby hugged Weiss closer. "Oh my god!" She squeaked. "You're so adorable, and this is _awesome_."

Weiss smiled, happy to be snuggled into Ruby. "But… erm… can we keep it a little quiet? I don't know if I'm really ready to be _open_ about this yet. And I don't want you to have to deal with the whole… 'in the spotlight' thing, either."

"Of course." Ruby answered, shifting her gaze directly into Weiss' blue eyes. "I'd never ask you to do anything you don't want to do, so if you want to keep this on the down-low for a while, that's totally fine."

Weiss' heart warmed at yet another selfless act from her team leader, leaning up to plant a quick kiss on Ruby's cheek. "Thank you, Ruby."

Weiss couldn't be happier. She had no idea what possessed Ruby to kiss her, but she was so glad that she did. It was so hard for her to understand how not even a week ago, she was trapped in her own personal hell, and now she was locked in the loving, warm embrace of her best friend… no, _girlfriend_. Something about that brought an inexplicable warmth. Weiss, for the first time in her life, was loved by someone who loved _her_. Not her name, not her money, not her prestige, but _her_.

Ruby was the first person, other than Winter, that Weiss had ever grown close to. She had always felt comfortable around the younger girl. That was until her heart started getting mixed into the matter. The mere thought of actually _being with_ Ruby lifted this strange weight from her shoulders. Now, Weiss felt relaxed. The knowledge that she was Ruby's girlfriend, even if it had only been for a few minutes by this point, made all of those awkward feelings in her stomach fade away. She was in love, true love, and all of the affection that she had longed for was now being given to her by her wonderful, bubbly, spastic, excitable, cloak-wearing girlfriend. And based on how tightly Ruby was clinging to her, she could tell that she was going to be in these arms for a very long time. She didn't care.


	31. Chapter 31: Retaliation

**Chapter 31: Retaliation**

 **February 8, 2683; 2346 Hours**

 **Remnant, Patch**

Thorne casually sat on the upstairs balcony of Tai Yang's house, burning cigarette stuck between his lips. Quite frankly, he was getting rather tired of waiting for Qrow's 'agent' to arrive. He shifted in the lightly-padded chair, letting thin wisps of smoke trail from his nostrils as he let out a long sigh. He had a timetable to keep; he was due back in Atlas by tomorrow morning after a new development in the investigation, and he did not like the prospect of being late for something as big as this.

Just as Thorne considered snuffing out his cigarette and stepping back inside, he heard the glass door slide open. He craned his neck to look over, finding Qrow to be standing there with a rather serious look on his face. "She's here, Thorne."

"After ten hours, I finally meet this 'agent'…" Thorne said, squeezing the lit tip of the cigarette between his gloved fingers and tucking the extinguished, half-finished tobacco back into a metallic container in his pocket. He wasn't wasteful… he'd finish it later. "You still haven't told me who she is, only that I'm apparently not allowed to tell Yang."

"That'll make sense when you meet her." Qrow said, nodding for Thorne to follow. "She's downstairs in the living room."

Wordlessly, Thorne made his way through the hall and down the short flight of stairs. About halfway down, he saw the woman in question. She was wearing a shallow-cut black dress, carried a longsword in a metallic sheath at her hip, and sported a head of long, raven-black hair. She obviously heard Thorne's shoes clacking against the wooden staircase, as she turned her head to face him. He was surprised to see bright red eyes, the exact same coloration as Qrow's. He had seen this eye color, this facial structure, and even this hairstyle before… then it hit him.

"Raven Branwen…" Thorne said, descending the final stairs and clasping his hands behind his back. "I never would have thought the long-lost mother of Yang would be Qrow's inside source on Salem's little dealings. I'll admit, this surprised even me."

"I'm risking a lot by being here at all." Raven responded, her voice level and calm. If she was at all surprised by Thorne's immediate recognition of her, she didn't show it.

"And you risked even more by withholding information from the Office of Naval Intelligence." Thorne countered, moving his hands to his sides.

"Is that a threat?" Raven asked, her voice almost innocent.

"Not at all…" Thorne retorted. "You waiting this long to come forward only cost thousands their lives."

"Salem's influence is much greater than you can imagine, Agent Thorne." Raven responded, resting a hand on the hilt of her blade. "It's likely that Beacon would have fallen anyways."

"Believe me; I know how far-reaching the influence of the Precursors is." Thorne shrugged. "I do not deal in 'likely'… I deal in absolutes. And I am absolutely sure that if I had ready access to this information, then the UNSC could have responded accordingly." He waved his hand dismissively. "Enough about that… I need you to start working with me."

"Well…" Raven began, sitting down on one of the stools at the counter, leaning against the ceramic surface. "What do you need to know?"

Thorne mirrored her, sitting down in the adjacent stool. "I need to know what Salem's next move is."

"You're already on the right track." Raven explained. "Her next step is for Haven to fall… and to find the Spring Maiden."

"What's her motive? Why target the Huntsmen Academies?"

"They're the only legitimate threat." Raven answered as if it were the simplest fact in the world. "Without the Academies, without the CCTs, the Kingdoms are vulnerable."

"The CCTs are going to be outdated within the next year." Thorne added. "The UEG is installing a full Waypoint Network here soon… destroying the CCTs would hardly hamper communications."

"Precisely why her plans have been pushed forward." Raven answered. "If the communications grid is down, and the Huntsmen are scattered, it would force the armies of Remnant and the UNSC to spread themselves thin to keep order. At least… that's what I've gathered thus far."

"Overextension of our forces is hardly a concern." Thorne retorted. "The UNSC's Army and Marine Corps are millions strong."

"You have a limited, albeit large, number of forces to pull from." Raven answered. "Salem, on the other hand, does not have that problem. So long as she exists, the Grimm are infinite."

"So how do we stop her?" Thorne inquired.

"You need to kill her." Raven answered.

"And how would I go about that? Where is she? We've run deep scans of this entire star system and haven't found any trace."

"She… exists in another place entirely." Raven answered. "Another realm… a mirror of our own."

"Another dimension?"

"Indeed."

"How do we access it?"

"Simply put… you can't." Raven answered, definitively. "Not unless she wants you to."

"And you can access it?"

" _I_ , and a select few others, can, through her blessing that is." Raven answered. "The Grimm use the same method to travel to Remnant, all through Salem."

"Fuck…" Thorne muttered.

Thorne carried on with his questioning for what seemed like an hour at most. Much to his surprise, it was well into the night when he finally ran out of questions for the raven-haired huntress before him. Much to his disdain, he found himself with more questions than answers. Sadly, even Raven didn't know who was in Salem's inner circle beyond Cinder.

"Well… For the first time in my career with The Office, I'm all out of questions." Thorne finished, sighing. "Questions that you might be able to answer, that is."

"I know that it isn't much, but I've shared everything that I know." Raven added. "Despite my situation, even I'm in the dark about most things."

"Well, it still helps." Thorne said, shrugging. "At least now I know how to respond." Thorne stood upright, a move that Raven mirrored. He extended his hand, which she tentatively shook. "Thank you for speaking with me."

"I figured I could spare one more act of kindness before I go back." Raven returned, nodding. "I assume that you're needed elsewhere?"

"I am." Thorne affirmed with a nod. Thorne wasn't quite sure what it was that possessed him to speak up about this. He could chalk it up to morality, but it was far more likely that he had grown rather close to the Huntresses that worked with his SPARTAN. "Speaking of acts of kindness…" Thorne said, stopping himself before he could leave to gather his few personal belongings. "Yang's been looking for you for years."

For the first time in their entire, hours-long conversation, Raven's expression seemed to soften. "I… I know. I've been keeping a distant eye on her, though. Even that is pushing it. It's nearly ruined everything that I've worked to build up."

"Hmm?" Thorne asked, once again caught in the dark about something rather important.

"I haven't completely abandoned my daughter." Raven answered.

Thorne nodded in understanding. Deep down, he almost hated the fact that he had grown so emotionally attached to the four young girls… almost. "Your daughter nearly died looking for you when she was younger… she says that she doesn't let her search for you control her, but I'm not so sure."

Raven seemed to tense up at the mention of the incident in the woodlands of Patch almost a decade ago. Qrow had told her what happened; Ruby and Yang were nearly killed when they were searching through their old, burned-out home. "I'd… only do more damage if I were to see her again."

Thorne nodded solemnly. He knew the dangers of tying family in with work all too well. "Has Qrow… told you anything about her recently?"

"I know she lost her arm to Taurus…" Raven's matter-of-fact statement was almost cold, but Thorne had learned to read people well. She was hurt by that fact. "For her sake, I hope you all succeed… I don't want her to deal with _anything_ even remotely like what I have. I just wish she chose a normal life, honestly."

"Well, I know that meeting you would help to put her mind at ease." Thorne said. "Much to my surprise, I've come to genuinely care about those four girls… and I care enough to know that she'd give anything to see you."

Raven sighed. "I know…"

"Just think about it, for her sake." Thorne finished. "If you ever get definitive information that you can give me, and you can finally come out of the shadows, I know that she'd appreciate it."

"If I get the chance…" Raven retorted. "In the meantime… how is my daughter?"

"She's… doing well." Thorne answered. "She was suffering from rather… intense PTSD after the fall of Beacon, but I think her girlfriend's helped her through it."

Raven seemed to stare at Thorne for a moment. "Wait… _Girlfriend_?!"

"Qrow didn't tell you that she's been with her partner for almost two years?" Thorne asked.

"No… he didn't." Raven said, looking rather irritated with her brother.

Thorne shrugged, a small smirk on his face. "Eh, he doesn't tell me anything either."

Much to Thorne's surprise, Raven actually cracked a small smile. "At least he's consistent." She sighed, her mind drifting back to Yang. "You've… given me a lot to think about, Thorne."

"Well, thinking's all I can ask of you." Thorne added. "If you ever decide to break off from your work with Salem, you'd be a valuable asset to ONI."

Raven actually seemed to consider that for a moment. "I'll… give it some thought."

"All I ask." Thorne finished, gathering up his coat from the coat rack by the door.

"Thank you…" Raven said. "Here I was thinking I'd be enlightening you."

Thorne smirked as he reached for the door handle. "Good luck." He offered before pulling the door open and stepping outside. Sitting on wooden chairs on the front porch were Tai Yang and Qrow, both of them looking at him expectantly.

"How'd it go?" Tai asked.

"Surprisingly well." Thorne answered, finishing with the buttons of his suit jacket. "Thank you again, Tai Yang."

"Not a problem at all, Thorne." Tai said, offering a quick nod. "Good luck out there."

XXXXX

 **February 9, 2683; 2031 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Ivan let out a light laugh as the conversation at the dinner table took a turn for the reminiscent. "Y'know… after your party last night, I didn't really expect you to go off on the paparazzi like that, Weiss Cream." Yang said, stuffing another bite of the pasta that Ivan had made into her mouth. After she finished the bite, a small smile broke across her face. "I've only ever seen you scream like that at me."

"Well, just be glad that Thorne warned me." Weiss said, being slightly more cordial in her eating habits. "It might've been a bit more profane if that was a surprise."

"And believe me… Weiss does _not_ curse often." Winter added from the other end of the large dining table. Ivan knew that this house was _not at all_ meant to accommodate fourteen people, but at the very least the dinner table was big enough… barely.

"What can I say?" Weiss shrugged. "Annoying sensationalist 'journalists' bring out the worst in me." Ivan and Winter both noted the slight glance that Weiss gave Ruby. "Thankfully, you all bring out the best."

 _"_ _They're actually the most adorable thing ever."_ Winter came over Ivan's neural implant.

Before Ivan could respond, he was surprised to hear the doorbell ring. "Who the hell rings a doorbell at eight at night?" Ivan wondered aloud, letting out a sigh as he stood up to answer it.

He made his way out of the kitchen, and through the living room with the light hum of conversation in the background. He deactivated the magnetic lock, then opened the door. Much to his surprise, he saw a familiarly tall, white-haired woman before him. He recognized her immediately, Viktoria Schnee, Weiss' mother. Standing just behind her was a shorter, teenage boy with similarly white hair and blue eyes. Color him surprised to see Whitley at his door just a few days after kicking his own down. "Missus Schnee… this is a surprise." He said, standing a full head taller than the admittedly tall woman. "What can I do for you?"

"Hello, Mister Chesnokov." She answered, giving a half-genuine smile. "I was hoping I could see my daughters."

"Of course, please come in." He said, stepping aside and allowing the two visitors to walk in. As they walked in, the teenager introduced himself to Ivan after he had finished closing and re-locking the door.

"A pleasure to finally meet you, sir." Whitley said, catching Ivan's attention. "Without the army of soldiers watching us, I mean." Much to his internal amusement, he was almost twice the boy's height, even outside the armor. He seemed friendly and positive enough, but Ivan detected just a hint of that affluent snob in his tone that the SPARTAN was so used to from his childhood. He had come from a relatively well-off family, and he had made absolutely sure that he was _nothing_ like the other rich kids from his youth. It was a part of the reason that he considered himself so down-to-earth.

Ivan smiled as Whitley reached out to shake his hand, a gesture that he mirrored. "A pleasure to meet you too, Whitley." Ivan said. "I wish it didn't come to that." He hummed. "Before Atlas, I didn't know Winter and Weiss had a brother."

"I'm not surprised they don't speak of me." Whitley responded with an indifferent shrug. His movements, even his body language, seemed fluid and choreographed. "Winter and I… never got along very well, and Weiss had been away for a long time."

Ivan nodded, knowing full well that Winter obviously had a reason for not liking her younger brother too much. He was unsure of Weiss' reasoning for never mentioning her younger sibling, however. Despite that, he turned his attention back to the Schnee mother. "We were just starting to eat dinner, the two of you are free to join us… if I can squeeze you in at the table that is."

"That's quite alright." Viktoria responded, waving her hand. "We've already eaten. Thank you for the offer, however. I assume Winter and Weiss are in there as well?"

"Yeah." Ivan affirmed with a nod. "C'mon, I'd imagine that they'll be happy to see you."

With that, Ivan led the two through the somewhat cluttered living room. There were magazines, books, controllers for a video game console, a laptop, and various other oddities scattered all over the furniture. As he neared the entry to the dining room and stepped through, everyone turned to him expectantly. "Looks like we have a few surprise guests." Everyone gave him a questioning look for a moment, then the new arrivals stepped through behind him.

Everyone with the exception of Team RWBY and Winter looked completely and utterly confused. Winter and Weiss' eyes widened in surprise. "Mother?" Weiss asked, placing her silverware back down on the table.

"Hello, Weiss." Viktoria said, a small smile breaking across her features.

Weiss stood up, and quickly made her way past Ruby, Blake, and Yang to find herself wrapped in her mother's embrace. "It's… good to see you again."

"You as well, Little Weiss." Viktoria responded. "How have you been these past two weeks?"

"I've been wonderful… even after everything that's happened."

Winter was the next to make her way over, giving her mother a one-armed hug. "It's wonderful to see you again, Mother."

Viktoria smiled again. "It's wonderful to see the two of you again. It's been far too long, Winter. You've gotten taller."

"Aww!" Ruby squeaked out, earning a quick, joking glare from Weiss and Winter. That earned a few laughs from the others at the table… all except Blake, who looked a bit mortified.

It took Ivan a moment to figure out why, but one particular piece of her normal ensemble of clothing was missing: her bow. Her ears were flattened against her head, and she was fidgeting in her seat. Yang noticed this too, and wrapped her metallic fingers around Blake's hand.

Ivan glanced around the table, seeing that everyone was practically done eating anyways. He shrugged. "C'mon, no reason to stand around the table." He said, nodding towards the living room.

XXXXX

 **February 9, 2683; 1604 Hours**

 **Remnant, Atlas (Schnee Estate)**

Thorne stepped off of the Falcon that transported him the relatively short distance from Patch to Atlas, finding himself standing on the garden grounds of the Schnee Estate. As he looked around, it seemed that his orders had been carried out in full. The Schnee Estate was manned by a full garrison of ONI's dedicated ODST detachment, most of them guarding the perimeter of the massive mansion's grounds.

Waiting for him at the makeshift landing pad on the eastern end of the estate was a familiar Admiral that was ordering the ONI agents around. The white-clad Admiral carried a small metallic briefcase with him. With a small smirk, Thorne made his way over as the Falcon's rotors wound down. As he approached, the Admiral turned to face him, returning the mischievous smirk. "I didn't know you could order my men around, Tom."

Lasky chuckled. "It's been too damned long, Gavin. How's the Office treating you?" The still-youthful Lasky reached out to shake Thorne's hand.

"Well enough." Thorne answered, shaking Lasky's hand. "Gotta say, I do miss the _Infinity_. It was good to see her in orbit."

"Miss the War Games?" Lasky asked, adjusting the cuff of his formal, all-white uniform.

"God, no." Thorne chuckled. "I miss having my CO not be a damn bureaucrat." With that, the two started on the short trek to the now-discovered entrance to the Forerunner Vault beneath the estate, located on the Western edge of the grounds. Thorne shrugged. "That… and I miss my armor. I had to… erm… borrow the Colonel's during the battle last year."

Lasky chuckled. "And I miss only having _one_ ship to worry about instead of the whole UNSC Armada."

Thorne looked Lasky up-and-down as they walked. "Uniform suits you, Chief of Naval Operations."

Lasky scoffed. "Please… now I've joined the ranks of the top brass. It's horrible. It's all just committee, Waypoint meetings, and sitting around doing nothing. This is the first time I've gotten to sit at the helm of _Infinity_ in almost three years. I finally found an excuse to yank her out of the Exploration Flotilla: this crazy planet."

As they approached the short staircase leading down into the Vault, the four SPARTAN IVs gave a salute, standing back at ease as Lasky waved them off. "What? You don't like playing politician on Earth?" Thorne asked as they descended the steps, passing through the Forerunner Alloy blast door.

"I like it about as much as Sarah liked you at first, buddy."

"What? I made up for that little incident on Midway Station." Thorne said, innocently.

"Yeah, only took you two years." Lasky returned.

Thorne sighed. "Man… the good old days with the other SPARTANs." Thorne shook his head as they walked past the scientists that were hard at work deciphering Forerunner glyphs, picking apart Forerunner technology, and conversing among themselves. "Anyways, I take it you've already been informed of what we found down here?"

"It was the first Priority-1 message I've gotten from HIGHCOM in months that actually mattered." Lasky said, sighing. "Looks like the fleet's getting a new flagship."

"And we found another Domain Nexus, just like the ones on Genesis." Thorne said, stepping through one of the many doors in the Vault. After passing through another hallway and into a massive, brightly-lit room, the object in question became very apparent.

It was a massive spire, hard-light glyphs dancing around the pillar in incandescent blue light. In the center of the spire was a small indentation, a perfect rectangle. Lasky laid his briefcase down on a small table just next to the spire, removing his white glove and placing his hand against the biometric scanner concealed in the very metal of the case.

With a soft pneumatic hiss, the briefcase popped open, revealing the source of Humanity's massive technological advances over the past century: The Janus Key. "Only took us six years of prying Cortana apart to finally find this thing…" Lasky lamented, holding up the small Forerunner construct, glowing red on one half and blue on the other. "If we're right, this Nexus will _finally_ put all of the pieces of this puzzle together."

"I can guarantee it." Thorne responded.

With a heavy sigh, Lasky pushed the Key into its proper place in the rectangular port. The spire lit up, its activation accompanied with a soft humming. With no noise, the Forerunner Alloy plates covering the spire's surface shifted, peeling away layer after layer of technological armor. After a mere minute, six hundred small plates floated around the room, hard-light glyphs and images shifting as they slowly orbited the spire, revealing secrets long locked away from the universe.

Lasky and Thorne both stood stunned as something completely unexpected happened. The plates of the walls began shifting as well, slowly opening up and revealing a _wealth_ of technology. _Everything_ that a UNSC scientist could ever dream of surrounded them: Forerunner Combat Skins of varying ratings, hard-light weaponry, Forerunner Information Retention Drives, star maps, and one of the things that the UNSC had been searching for decades to uncover… a room dedicated to the storage, recharging, and creation of Forerunner Vacuum Energy Cores: the most powerful energy source in existence.

"God…" Thorne began.

"Damn…" Lasky finished, looking around in bewilderment. In all of his years dealing with Forerunner tech, this was everything that he had hoped to find, all in one place. This discovery alone, with enough study and work, could easily propel Humanity to Tier-1 status by the turn of the 28th Century.

Almost as if to accent just how massively important this discovery was, the glyphs that were previously floating around the spire began to move and shift places. They aligned themselves before the two humans in the room, cycling through the hundreds of thousands of languages that existed in the Forerunner Archives before finally settling on English. In wonderful simplicity, they read out two elegant words that very nearly caused Thorne's jaw to drop open:

 ** _"_** ** _WELCOME, RECLAIMERS"_**

Thorne and Lasky both exchanged glances. Lasky was the first to break the minutes-long silence. "We should probably call the President…"

XXXXX

 **February 9, 2683; 2103 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Ivan simply smiled as the amicable conversation hummed throughout the living room. Weiss and Winter were getting caught up with their mother, who occasionally brought questions to everyone else. Blake had finally started to feel comfortable enough to let her ears stand up normally. Much to her surprise, Viktoria made no comment, and even complimented Blake on how strong she was for coming along to the party all that time ago. Blake smiled, taking that as a victory.

As the conversation carried on well into the night, Ivan made out a sound that was all too-familiar to him: an explosion. At first, he wrote it off as a scheduled air combat drill… then the Raid Siren started blaring, accompanied by another, closer detonation.

Ivan and Winter both looked to each other as looks of worry spread to everyone else. Ivan's expression hardened. "You two, follow me." Ivan said, looking to Viktoria and Whitley. "Everyone else, gear up!" He shouted, standing up and heading down the stairs and into the basement, everyone else following behind him.

It was rather obvious that Viktoria and Whitley were not expecting a full armory in the basement, let alone two suits of MJOLNIR armor, but Ivan's mind was otherwise occupied. The Huntsmen all darted off into the armory, gathering up their equipment and weapons.

Winter had already set to work removing her outerwear, grabbing her gel layer from its resting place beside her white helmet. As Ivan reached for his own, he spoke to Viktoria and Whitley. "The two of you need to stay down here until the all-clear is given by the Commander. Am I clear?"

"We can help, sir." Whitley retorted. "My Mother's a Huntsman, and I'm going through training in a combat academy."

"You're still in training, and I will not allow non-combatants to fight on my base." Ivan said, his tone making it quite clear that he would not be argued with. "If you _really_ want to help, stay down here and keep my mind at ease."

Whitley gave an indignant huff, but Viktoria nodded. She wasn't arrogant. She knew that was a definitive difference between killing a few Grimm and fighting a battle against other, sentient beings. "Thank you." Ivan said, finishing with his Tech Suit.

As the Huntsmen of Team RWBY, Team JNPR, and Team CFVY filed out of the armory, Ivan stepped into the MJOLNIR apparatus. Whitley and Viktoria watched in wonder as the six robotic arms of the machine picked up each individual piece of Ivan's jet-black MJOLNIR armor, placing the pieces over his body and sealing them together.

After the machine finished laying the armor atop the SPARTAN, he stepped out of it. He grabbed his ODST-pattern helmet, pulling it over his head, and powering up his HUD. Beneath the surface of his visor, it began to glow a dull blue as the armor synched up with his Neural Implant. He reached over to the weapon rack just behind the apparatus, grabbing an M6 SOCOM magnum, an SRS-99 Sniper rifle, and a BR-85 Battle Rifle. He locked each of the weapons in place on the magnetic retention strips on his back and thighs, then turned around.

He saw all of the three Huntsmen teams standing before him, all of their weapons loaded and ready. Winter had just finished attaching her sabre's metallic sheath to the back of her armor, along with a pair of suppressed M7 SMGs at her hips. For the first time in months, everyone was back together, and ready to fight together. It brought him a sense of comfort and familiarity, which manifested in a small smirk as he saw Weiss give him a small smile.

"Alright…" Ivan began, racking back the charging handle of his Battle Rifle. "Fireteam Hunter, the light is green!"


	32. Chapter 32: Cleansed in Fire

**Chapter 32: Cleansed in Fire**

 **February 9, 2683; 2231 Hours**

 **Remnant, Orbit (UNSC** ** _Infinity_** **, Bridge)**

 _"_ _Mayday, Mayday! We are under fire from hostile forces, requesting immediate orbital assistance!"_

 _"_ _Where the hell'd they come from! We need support!"_

 _"_ _Airbase November is under bombardment! Requesting fire support!"_

 _"_ _Vorbeck Airfield reporting major damage to ATC one through four, runways one, six, and eight suffering heavy damage."_

 _"_ _Confirmed! White Fang are using plasma weapons! I repeat: White Fang using plasma weapons!"_

 _"_ _Echo Battalion suffering heavy casualties! Requesting reinforcements at grid reference Delta-Romeo-Charlie-niner-one-two-six! We are surrounded!"_

Lasky watched the tactical data flooding in from all corners of Mistral. UNSC installations all over the continent, from remote observation posts to heavily-fortified bases were coming under heavy fire from the White Fang, which in turn was bringing Grimm in massive numbers. It was well-coordinated, he would give them that, but he was too busy barking out orders to the bridge crew of _Infinity_.

"Deploy ODSTs at grid Delta-Romeo-India-six-three-three-four!" Lasky barked. "I need target acquisition for ARCHER strikes!"

"Fleet Admiral!" The Sensors Officer called out over the commotion. "ODST Companies Alpha through Delta taking massive casualties!"

"Re-route Artemis Wing to assist!" Lasky ordered.

"Too late, sir!" The Sensors Officer said, a grim expression on his face. "They're gone…"

Lasky's head shot to look out of the observation window. He could see a thin veil of smoke covering some of Mistral's surface, with the orbiting defense fleet dropping thousands of SOEIV Pods towards the surface. The Anchor Stations in orbit, all six of them, began dispatching dozens of Broadsword and SABRE wings to provide air support.

Lasky's decades of command had seen him through worse situations. He had overcome the Guardians, and he could overcome this. He let out a grim sigh as he keyed the ship-wide intercom system. "All SPARTAN Fireteams prepare for insertion! Fireteams Crimson, Osiris, Delta, Indigo, and Ares report to Hanger 12 for deployment to Mistral!"

"Admiral!" The Weapons Officer shouted. "Forward MACs prepared to fire!"

"Fire low-yield strikes!" Lasky ordered.

XXXXX

 **February 9, 2683; 2231 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Ivan ducked into cover as a rocket flew past his head, slamming into a nearby Warthog and spearing through the engine. The four-wheeled vehicle went up in flames, throwing the gunner off and liquefying the driver. In retribution, a single Sniper round cracked through the air, splattering the rocketeer's brains from hundreds of meters away.

The two Strident-Class Frigates that were docked at Vorbeck Airbase were deployed early in the fighting, and were raining 50mm autocannons down on the tree line outside the base, but the fire simply kept coming. The anguished cries of injured Marines, the rattling of UNSC weapons, the disorganized radio chatter, all of it showed the gravity of the situation. They were under a _heavy_ assault.

Winter popped out of cover to fire her MA5 at the tree line, only to be forced back into cover by a hail of pulse rifle fire draining her shields. As a Marine Corpsman ran over to the bullet-riddled hull of a Warthog to treat a wounded comrade with bio-foam, Ivan was surprised to see a pink needle spear through the Marine's throat, exploding a moment later and scattering razor-sharp shards of crystal into the Medic's neck and head, almost completely severing his head. "Heads up, Covvie weapons!" Ivan shouted, firing his Battle Rifle downrange, striking a White Fang fighter with a Needle Rifle.

"Where the fuck did they get those?!" A nearby ODST Sergeant asked, firing a 40mm grenade from his under-barrel grenade launcher.

 _"_ _Ivan!"_ Weiss came over the SPARTAN's communicator. _"They've punched through the southern defenses! They're funneling in!"_

"Shit!" Ivan shouted. "Southern perimeter breached. Sergeant, I need you and your men to get over there and cover Alpha Company!"

"Roger, Colonel!" The ODST Sergeant responded. "Cover us!"

Ivan popped up, switching his Battle Rifle over to its automatic fire setting and sweeping the treeline with gunfire. Winter fired both of her SMGs outwards toward the tree line, hoping to suppress the incoming barrage of gunfire. The forty Marines with them did the same, with two still-operational Warthog Chain Guns sweeping the tree line with .30 caliber rounds

As their fire started to push the White Fang back into cover, the ODSTs made their move. The twenty-man platoon made their way back towards the south, hopping from cover to cover as opportunity arose. Once they were out of range, the pair of SPARTANS ducked back into cover to reload their weapons. The Marines did the same as their mags ran dry, and the chain guns started to overheat.

Ivan keyed into the comms with Team RWBY again. _"Weiss, twenty ODSTs are en-route to your position now. Hold them back! Everyone else, give me a sit-rep!"_

Ivan heard a grunt from the other end, sounding like Weiss' Aura had just taken a hit. _"Understood."_ She responded.

 _"_ _East is holding, Ivan!"_ Coco came over the comms. _"A lot of Marines are hit, though!"_ Ivan could make out the distinct whirring and rattling of Coco's gatling gun over the radio.

 _"_ _Fighting on the West has slowed down."_ Jaune explained over the radio. _"We're getting ready for their next attack."_

 _"_ _We're getting royally fucked in the North, heavy casualties!"_ Ivan reported. He switched his comms to the base-wide network. _"All UNSC forces, do not fire on Promethean Armigers if you see them. They are friendly, I repeat: Prometheans are friendly!"_

With a swift motion, Ivan outstretched his right hand, letting his Semblance loose. He overrode his armor's safeties, and administered a combat stimulant. Letting his Semblance's energy reach new limits, ten Slipspace portals opened around him, with ten Promethean Knights assembling themselves from said portals. The massive three meter-tall Armigers started opening fire with Light Rifles, Binary Rifles, and Incineration Cannons, adding golden light to the streaking green tracers of UNSC rounds.

The Knights let out a primal, synthesized roar as their rear plates shuddered, releasing Watchers that began projecting Hard Light barriers before the SPARTANs and Knights.

As the fighting renewed, rounds started being exchanged across the lines. UNSC rounds and Forerunner Hard Light streaked across the air, passing the blue Pulse Rounds and Plasma Weaponry of the White Fang. As he popped up to return fire, Ivan heard a deafening roar sound off overhead. Glancing up, he noticed four brilliant streaks of light bearing down on the surface. Knowing full well what was coming, he shouted over the general communications. _"Heads down! MAC rounds incoming!"_

Instantly, the UNSC stopped firing and ducked for cover. A few moments later, the four MAC rounds struck their targets outside the base's grounds. The earth beneath them shook, windows exploded inwards, and massive clouds of dust were kicked up by the impacting two-ton slugs as they found their mark. Ignoring the sounds of debris clattering to the ground, the fighting had fallen completely silent.

A few moments later, that silence was broken by the screaming descent of hundreds of SOEIV pods and the roar of Kodiak artillery pieces that were blanketing the forests around the base in 255mm HE shells. The SOEIVs impacted in and around the base, the shaped charges in the doors blasting them open and allowing the occupants to join the fray. ODSTs poured out of their pods and began pushing outward. Among them were a few SPARTANs. Landing a few meters from Winter and Ivan was Fireteam Crimson, _Infinity_ 's most decorated SPARTAN team.

As the ODSTs and SPARTANs began advancing, Ivan came back over the general comms network. _"All UNSC forces, advance! Push them back!"_

XXXXX

 **February 10, 2683; 0013 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Ivan and Winter walked through the desolate wasteland created by one of the four MAC rounds. All of the trees and foliage within a two-mile radius were flattened, and the ground near the impact crater was hardened into glass. As they marched outward, something became very clear: the gloves were off. All of the ODSTs that had been dropped by the defense fleet were bearing markings of ONI, and were utterly ruthless.

The two SPARTANs watched as a White Fang whose lower body had been pulverized by the MAC strike was attempting to crawl towards his friend, trails of blood following him. Without even a moment of hesitation, a nearby ODST Lieutenant pulled his Magnum from its magnetic strip, and blasted the Faunus' brains on the blackened soil.

Winter almost missed that whole ordeal, as she was watching an ODST with two cybernetic arms crush a Cat Faunus' wrists, following it up with a quick round through the chin before tossing the body aside, where it fell limp against a splintered tree. These weren't standard soldiers, they were functioning more like executioners. They weren't taking prisoners, they weren't interrogating, they weren't talking, they were simply killing. It sent a sickening chill down Ivan's spine.

"Sector clear, let's move on!" The Colonel of this ODST detachment called out.

The spectacle continued for the entire mop-up operation. Ivan and Winter both watched as the ODSTs ruthlessly and efficiently carried out their mission. They showed no mercy, no hesitation, and no regret for their actions. Ivan was sick to his very core, but another part of him wasn't. A very vocal section of his mind was trying to rationalize it. They were the enemies of humanity on this world just as much as the Grimm were… but that didn't warrant such brutality.

XXXXX

 **February 10, 2683; 0143 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Ivan and Winter walked across the tattered and scarred Runway 5 of Vorbeck Airbase, watching as medical personnel tended to wounded and carted off the dead. Over six thousand casualties across the continent in a four hour, coordinated, surprise attack. Dozens of Observation Posts had been destroyed, entire bases were rendered inoperable, and the HIGHCOM Personnel were absolutely furious. There were rumors circulating that the President was en-route to Remnant with a full fleet from the Home Fleet, and it was _extremely_ rare for the President to leave Earth for any reason, much less while commanding a fleet.

As he neared the half-destroyed remnants of ATC Tower 1 near the southern end of the base, he found the three Huntsmen teams gathered, sitting on pieces of concrete debris. Everyone looked ragged from the four hours of fighting. Yang had a nasty gash across her cheek, Blake's sleeve was burnt up with bandages wrapped around her forearm , Weiss had a bit of dried blood on her knuckles, knees, and hands, but Ruby looked the worst. She looked exhausted, her skirt in tatters and cuts all along her stockings. She had a gash running along her stomach, where the fabric of her dress had been torn clean through. All of them had been treated by medics, who had long since gone off to treat more serious wounds.

As they approached, Yang gave the pair of SPARTANs a grim nod before going back to resting her head on her knees. Wordlessly, Ivan slumped against a particularly large piece of concrete rubble, his armor thudding against the scarred ground. He reached up with his hand, releasing the pressure seal of his helmet and removing it. He let out a sigh as the combat stim had started wearing off, and simply placed his ODST-pattern helmet on the ground. Winter mirrored Ivan, sitting down and placing her helmet on the ground.

"So…" Ivan began. "How'd it go on your end?" He looked to Team RWBY.

"Shit…" Yang answered. "Complete shit."

"We got attacked by a huge force." Blake finished, looking to add a bit more to the description. "We got attacked by what seemed like a Huntsman too."

"Really?" Ivan asked, looking to Blake.

"Yeah…" Blake continued. "He seemed hell-bent on getting to Ruby."

That piqued Ivan's interest. "What'd he look like?"

Blake shrugged. "Didn't really get a good look at him… he moved too quick. He was pale, had a braided ponytail, cackled like a maniac, and had a scorpion tail."

Ivan's mouth dried out at that description. He knew _exactly_ who Blake was talking about. "What happened to him?"

"He ran off after a few of the SPARTANs started shooting at him." Blake answered. "We didn't find a body. Why?"

"He's the same person that was watching us at dinner the other night." Weiss piped up.

"My thoughts exactly…" Ivan muttered. "I'll send it up the chain and get ONI to start hunting this fucker down. My money's on him being connected to Cinder."

"Well, I for one am not letting him anywhere _near_ Ruby again." Weiss said, locking eyes with her partner. Ruby gave a grim smile in response.

"Damn right…" Yang said, sitting up for the first time since Ivan's arrival.

"He won't be touching any of us." Ivan said, sounding rather definitive. At that, everyone gave a nod, and fell into silence.

Everyone sat in silence for well over fifteen minutes, nobody having the energy to speak up. It was Ivan's communicator that finally broke the silence. _"Colonel… what are your orders for the sixteen captured White Fang?"_ The Base Commander asked.

Ivan pressed a hand to his ear. _"Wait one, I'm on my way."_

Wordlessly, Ivan stood up and grabbed his helmet. He kept it tucked under the crook of his arm as he walked the short distance to the Command Bunker, where sixteen Faunus were sat against the wall guarded by the SPARTANs of Fireteam Delta. Something about these SPARTANs' armor looked… familiar. He recognized the armor, it was the experimental HELLCAT-pattern MJOLNIR GEN-2. He had no idea why, but something about this armor looked alien… yet familiar at the same time.

Ivan recognized one of the SPARTANs from his generation of trainees. The Lieutenant leading Fireteam Delta was a goliath of a man, standing taller than even Ivan. He looked more akin to a SPARTAN-II in stature than a SPARTAN-IV. The nameplate attached to his chest, resting just to the side of a fading painted red skull, read out "Lt. Robertson." The HELLCAT-clad SPARTAN gave Ivan a curt nod as he approached, which Ivan returned.

Ivan found the Base Commander leaned against a crate of ammunition, lit cigarette dangling from her lips. "Colonel?" She asked.

Ivan stared at the captured Faunus, all of them avoiding eye contact with him. Ivan strode over to the highest-ranked prisoner, denoted as an equivalent to a sergeant by the red stripes on his sleeve. He looked no older than twenty five, and had a wolf's tail resting on the ground, some of the fur singed off.

Wordlessly, the SPARTAN knelt down, causing the Wolf Faunus to glance up to meet the SPARTAN's eyes. Ivan knew fear when he saw it, and this man was mortified. "Why?" The SPARTAN asked, causing a look of confusion to come over the Faunus.

"W-What?"

"Why attack us?" Ivan simply asked, his voice eerily calm and level. "You had to have known that this is how it would end."

"We were following orders…" The man muttered.

"Where have I heard that one before?" Ivan wondered aloud. "Oh, of course, that's the default answer that genocidal maniacs give. Tell me… how many innocent humans and Faunus have you hurt or killed for your orders?"

"And how many of my people have you killed?" The Faunus asked, looking up to stare at the SPARTAN expectantly.

Ivan let out a dark chuckle. "I don't kill innocents, my friend. I kill people like you."

"So get it over with then." The Faunus demanded, staring into Ivan's blue cybernetics.

"After what you've done…" Ivan thumbed a gesture over to the city of Mistral, which had suffered a similar attack and still had black plumes of smoke billowing from behind the walls. "Killing you would be too easy." Ivan stood up, grabbing his helmet and tucking it back under his arm. "Lieutenant, they're yours. Get whatever you can out of them, forward everything you have to me."

The HELLCAT-clad SPARTAN nodded. "With pleasure, Colonel." The SPARTAN's deep, raspy voice sent chills down the Faunus' back. As Ivan turned to leave, he could clearly hear the sound of a jury-rigged Sangheili Wrist-Mounted Energy Dagger igniting.

XXXXX

 **February 10, 2683; 0234 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Ivan stepped through the door of his provided housing. He let out a sigh as he saw all of the shattered glass littering the floor. The concussion wave from the MAC strike had blown out all of the windows.

"Well… this sucks." Yang aptly commented as she stepped through the door.

"We'll worry about fixing that later." Ivan said, making his way down into the basement with Winter and Weiss. As he expected, Whitley and Viktoria were waiting… along with a Faunus corpse. The Faunus was absolutely riddled with wounds, most of them from a blade, with some of them from burns. Thankfully, the two Schnees looked fine.

"One wandered down here." Viktoria explained, simply.

"Nice work." Ivan said, sighing as he walked over to the MJOLNIR Removal Apparatus.

"Are you two alright?" Viktoria asked, seeing the bruising and dried blood on her youngest daughter, as well as the impact damage to Winter's armor.

"I'm fine, Mother." Weiss assured. "We've been through worse."

"I'm sure you have, but a Huntress doesn't usually fight a war." Viktoria countered.

As Ivan stepped out of the robotic apparatus, he found a message to be coming in through his Neural Implant. Seeing the sender, he immediately opened it and read over the text it contained.

 _Colonel, I managed to yank some intel about that Huntsman that was zeroed-in on your friends. His name's Tyrion, apparently. He doesn't exist in any of Remnant's databases, but he's one slippery son of a bitch. He's quick, brutal, and verifiably insane. He uses some kind of wrist-mounted disc blade as a weapon, along with his scorpion tail. Well… he_ _used_ _his scorpion tail. When Delta and I engaged him, his tail got hacked off by gunfire. After that, he scurried off. I recovered his tail and handed it over to the eggheads in ONI._

 _Most of the Faunus we captured were from Menagerie, originally. They were recruited there and trained by the White Fang all over Remnant. None of them spilled where exactly they were trained, but I handed their officer over to ONI too. The rest won't be a problem anymore._

 _-Lieutenant Robertson_

Ivan filed that information away in the back of his mind. He'd have to remember to thank Robertson later.

As he zoned back into reality, Winter was just finishing with her armor's removal and Weiss was placing Myrtenaster back in the armory. "What happens now, sir?" Whitley asked.

Ivan turned his attention to the younger boy. "The airspace over Mistral is on lockdown for the next few days. The attack's brought a lot of Grimm with it, so for now you two are stuck here. I'll make some calls and have accommodations arranged for you."

"That's unnecessary, but appreciated, Ivan." Viktoria said, smiling. "Thank you."

"Of course." Ivan said, nodding.

Ivan's attention was grabbed as Ruby poked her head down from the staircase. "Hey Ivan! Blake wants to talk to you."

"I'll be right up!" Ivan called back. "Excuse me." He said, making his way upstairs.

As Ivan climbed the staircase, Viktoria sighed, turning to her eldest daughter as she set about to removing her hair from its bun. "Winter… I never did get the chance to ask. How is life with the UNSC?"

Winter shrugged. "It's not so different than the Specialists. My commander's a lot more informal to say the least."

"You two seem to have grown quite close." Viktoria observed.

Winter gave an awkward chuckle. "Yes… about that…" Viktoria cocked an eyebrow.

XXXXX

 **February 10, 2683; 0251 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Ivan stepped into the room that Blake and Yang shared, seeing the Feline Faunus and Brawler sitting on the bed, having a very quiet discussion. Both of them turned to look at the SPARTAN as he walked in, still in his Tech Suit. "You wanted to talk to me, Blake?" Ivan asked.

Blake nodded. "I… I need to tell you something."

"Sure." Ivan said, righting a fallen desk chair and sitting in it. "What's up?"

"I… I really need to go to Menagerie." Blake said, her expression even more deathly serious than usual.

"What's going on?" Ivan asked. "Is something wrong?"

"My parents are still on Menagerie… I have a really bad feeling after today." Blake explained. "I want to make sure that my parents are alright."

"Well, the UNSC doesn't really have a presence on Menagerie yet." Ivan said, shrugging. "I wouldn't want you going there alone. Why do you think your parents are in danger?"

"You know that the White Fang used to have a non-violent leader, right?" Blake asked, earning a nod from the SPARTAN. "That leader was my father."

Admittedly, Ivan was rather surprised by that. Blake did say that she was practically born into the White Fang, but he had no idea the extent until now. It was quite likely that ONI already knew about this, but he had never done any in-depth digging into the origins of the White Fang. "Well, I'm not about to let you go off to Menagerie alone. I'll bring it up with Thorne and see what I can do."

"Thank you, Ivan." Blake said, sincerity making itself known in a small smile. "It's probably nothing, but I really can't shake it."

"Don't worry about it." Ivan said. Not even a minute later, his communicator beeped. Linking it to his Neural Implant, he found it to be a message from the man in question. "Speak of the devil, and so he shall appear." Ivan said, smirking. "Go ahead, Thorne." Ivan said, pressing a finger to his ear.

"Ivan, Lieutenant Robertson forwarded what he found to me." Thorne began. "I've got a bit of an addition to your mission. The President will be arriving in three days, and there's going to be a meeting between him and the leadership of Remnant in Vale."

"You need us to provide security?" Ivan asked.

"No, I've got Delta on that already." Thorne answered. "The primary difference between this meeting and the Sydney Accords is that Menagerie will be represented in this meeting. I've already contacted the Chieftain of Menagerie, and he's sending a few of Menagerie's councilors to the meeting. If everything goes smoothly, which I have no doubt that it will, you and Team RWBY will be heading to Menagerie after the meeting as a sort of 'first contact' party."

"Why us?" Ivan asked.

"You and your team are something of a legend among the Faunus." Thorne explained. "Word of what you did in the Schnee Estate reached Menagerie, and a lot of the people there respect you."

"Understood, Thorne." Ivan said.

"One more thing…" Thorne began. "We've got more intel on the enemy. I'll forward it to you after we've cleaned up that shit-show in Mistral."

"Sounds good."

"I lied, one more thing." Thorne added. "I think you'll like the President's new ship."

"What is it?" Ivan asked.

"That, my friend, is a surprise." Thorne said, his smirk nearly audible. "I'll see you in Menagerie. Thorne out." With that, Thorne cut the comms.

"What was that all about?" Yang asked.

Ivan smirked. "Well… it looks like we're going to Menagerie." Ivan said, earning a look of surprise from Blake and Yang.

"Really? What for?" Yang asked.

"We're a sort of diplomatic party for the UEG." Ivan answered. "We'll be heading there after the President finishes up a meeting with Remnant's leadership in Vale."

"The President's coming?" Blake asked.

"Yeah… and I don't think he's coming to play nice." Ivan said. "He's bringing a detachment of the Home Fleet with him."

"Oh boy…" Yang said.

"Indeed." Ivan affirmed. "I can only guess what this meeting's about."

"Nothing good, I'd bet." Blake guessed.

XXXXX

 **February 10, 2683; 0255 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Ruby walked into her shared room with Weiss, who immediately set about to removing her hair from its ponytail. "I think this might be the first time I've ever been glad to _not_ have a window." Weiss commented, grateful that she wouldn't have to clean up shards of glass.

"Yeah…" Ruby said, sitting down on the bed. Weiss had been around her partner long enough to know that something was bothering her. After letting her hair loose, she walked over and sat next to Ruby.

"What's wrong, Ruby?" Weiss asked.

Ruby sighed. "What did that guy want?"

"I don't know…" Weiss answered honestly. "But I won't let him anywhere near you if I have anything to say about it."

Ruby rested her head on Weiss' shoulder. "Thanks, Weiss."

"Of course, Ruby." Weiss said, not too sure what to do with her hands. She settled for wrapping her fingers around Ruby's own. "I just got you back… there's no way that I'm losing you again."

Ruby smiled for the first time in hours, simply sitting there and finding warmth in her partner's Aura. Ruby and Weiss simply stayed there for a few minutes, neither of them finding it within themselves to disturb the peaceful silence.

Ruby was the first to move, pulling Weiss just a bit closer. Her sudden shift caused the heiress to let out a soft "eep", earning a giggle from Ruby. "You're so cute." Ruby said, deftly pulling the shorter heiress into her lap.

Weiss playfully rolled her eyes. "Dolt."

"Yep." Ruby affirmed.

After a moment, Ruby glanced over to the clock, seeing that it was almost 3 A.M. "Wanna go to sleep? It's really late."

"Probably a good idea." Weiss answered, nodding.

Weiss noticed a bashful look in her partner's eyes, and a creeping blush coming over her face. "Ruby?" Weiss asked.

"Can we… you know…" Weiss couldn't make out the last part of Ruby's sentence through her mumbling.

"Can we what?" Weiss asked.

It was a bit clearer this time, but Weiss still couldn't hear her clearly. "Ruby…" Weiss said, smiling. "What is it?"

"Can you stay close to me tonight?" Ruby managed to squeak out.

"What?" Weiss asked, a small grin on her face.

"I just… I really don't want to feel alone, especially not after tonight…" Ruby explained, blushing fully. "Sorry, I'm really bad at this whole 'girlfriend' thing so far."

Weiss smiled. "I for one think you're doing a wonderfully adorable job." Weiss planted a quick, chaste kiss on Ruby's lips. "And yes, I'll be here." Weiss had never seen a more adorable blush in her life as she pulled away from the kiss. She pulled her girlfriend into a close embrace. "I'll be here, and I won't ever let you go."

XXXXX

 **February 10, 2683; 0303 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Ivan walked back into the basement, looking to tuck his magnum back into its proper home in the armory. He had completely forgotten about the corpse in the basement, still lying in the middle of the room with an empty pistol clutched in its hand. As he approached, something caught his eye.

Poking out from the dead Faunus' pocket was a small bundle of paper. His curiosity got the better of him, and he reached down to pluck it from the body. He unfolded the scrap of paper, finding there to be a short paragraph on the surface written in beautifully-flowing cursive script. He read over the short passage.

 _When you are in Vale, you can find me among you. When you are in Atlas, you can find me beneath you. When you are in Vacuo, I'm nowhere to be found. When you are in Mistral, you are where I used to call home. When you are in Menagerie, you can find me in the sand._

 _Do your best to find me… please._

Beneath the passage was a series of geographic coordinates. Out of pure curiosity, and some surprise, Ivan plugged them into his Neural Implant. They returned showing a marker in the middle of a massive desert in Menagerie, completely barren from the satellite imagery that the UNSC had available.

Something about this note seemed familiar, almost like he had seen the letters somewhere before. He silently folded the paper back up, tucking it away in his pocket. Somehow, he had a feeling about this… and he wasn't quite sure what it was. That wouldn't stop him from finding out, though.


	33. Chapter 33: Heavy-Handed

**Chapter 33: Heavy-Handed**

 **February 13, 2683; 0531 Hours**

 **Remnant, Orbit (Remnant-2)**

Thorne watched the massive starship's four-part structure slip back into real-space. The twenty six kilometer long form of _Light of Sol_ slid through the four separate Slipspace portals, all of the pieces pulling themselves together in the ship's combat formation. The crew of the station watched as the new flagship of the UNSC Armada slipped through, and a restrained cheer broke out as the mass of Forerunner Alloy shimmered as it paid back the time-debt it owned to the slipstream.

A few moments after the flagship, an armada of two hundred Capital Cruisers slipped in, along with three hundred sub-capital ships of varying classes.

Thorne smirked as a communication came in from the _Light of Sol_ , the voice of the President coming over the entire Battle-net. "Remnant Orbital Defense, this is President Engel. I need ONISEC Personnel and Section One Director Thorne with me on the ground."

"Right away, Mister President." Thorne responded, smirking.

XXXXX

 **February 13, 2683; 1231 Hours**

 **Remnant, Menagerie**

Ivan sat in the rear of a Pelican dropship, placing his etched nameplate onto a magnetic strip on his chestplate. Winter sat next to him, working her armored gauntlet into place on her wrist. The rest of Team RWBY sat with them in the Pelican, the blue oceans of Remnant flying by. CFVY and JNPR stayed behind in Mistral to continue their work there.

"Is the fleet really necessary?" Blake asked, looking out of the nearest viewport, spotting the wing of eighteen Pelicans that were joining their own, all escorted by Broadswords.

"Direct orders from the President." Ivan answered. "From what I've heard… he's done playing nice."

Ivan grabbed a BR-85 from a rack on the nearby bulkhead, sliding a magazine into the rear of the rifle and slinging it over his back. A few minutes later, the Pelican set down with a heavy jolt and the rear door opened, allowing the tropical air of Menagerie into the aircraft. Ivan, Winter, and the four Huntresses stood and stepped out of the dropship.

As they stepped onto the dock on the edge of a large Oceanside town, they found themselves surrounded by onlookers, all of them Faunus. Palm trees surrounded the buildings of the village, along with dense tropical vegetation. Every Faunus imaginable was present at the docks, observing the UNSC arrivals with a curious eye. The eighteen other Pelicans landed on the beach, their heavy engines scorching the sands beneath them to glass as they touched down and allowed their Marine occupants out. There were murmurs among the crowd as they saw the UNSC Military land on their shores, but it stayed relatively calm.

News of the arrival of the UNSC was nothing new to Menagerie. The Covenant had landed here during the invasion almost two years ago, and it was a UNSC Marine Expeditionary Force that had pushed them off the island continent. Beyond that, the people of Menagerie had little contact with the UNSC or UEG. A few Faunus had left the island and joined the UNSC's expansive defense force on Remnant, which was almost entirely made up of locals by this point, but the UEG had no embassy here and this nation had not signed into the Sydney Accords… mostly because they were not represented.

It was quite clear that someone in the crowd recognized the black ODST-pattern armor that had stepped out of the lead Pelican, and Ivan had heard his name murmured throughout the crowd a few times. Most people here simply knew him as the SPARTAN of Vale, which is what the news sources had called him after the Invasion.

Ivan smiled as a Marine Sergeant jogged over to his position, wearing her OD-Green armor. She had a pair of wolf ears present atop her head. He recognized her as the same Faunus maid from his little trip to the Schnee estate in Vale. She asked Ivan about the UNSC's recruitment just before he left the party at the Schnee Estate, and he was more than happy to talk with her. He was quite happy when he learned that she had chosen to join the Marines. She spoke up, her voice carrying over the quiet murmurs in the crowd and silencing them. She spoke with a certain fire… a passion that Ivan was very familiar with. She had found something greater than herself to be a part of. She had gone from a timid maid to a respected officer in the Marine Corps, and she looked proud of it.

"People of Menagerie, we are the United Nations Space Command. The Military, Scientific, and Colonization arm of the United Earth Government. We are here at the request of your Chieftain, and are here to provide security for a diplomatic meeting between the UEG and Menagerie."

A large portion of the group observing the UNSC forces smiled, a few even applauded their arrival… a small portion however, remained silent.

XXXXX

 **February 14, 2683; 1101 Hours**

 **Remnant, Vale (Capitol Building)**

President Engel stormed through the halls of Vale's Capital, Thorne and a pair of ONISEC SPARTANs walking with him. "Six thousand dead in four hours…" The President growled, clenching his fists at his side.

"Estimates put it at two billion in damages." Thorne added, not doing much to soothe his superior's nerves.

"And that damned Faunus didn't have the guts to come himself…" The President scoffed. As he approached the door to the conference room, the pair of Marines standing guard gave a salute, both of them moving their free hands to open the large, wooden double doors. Inside, was the leadership of all four kingdoms, as well as a pair of representatives from Menagerie. The entire room was also occupied by Marine guards in their formal uniforms. Seeing their Commander in Chief walk in, all of them snapped into a crisp salute, their MA5s held in a parade attention stance.

"At ease!" Engel shouted, his voice accompanied by the shifting of boots on the floor and the soft clicking of rifles finding their place resting against the floor, their barrels gripped by their Marine wielders. "I'm sure you all know why I've made the trip out here?" Engel began, walking to take his seat at the head of the long table.

"We can imagine why you came here, Engel…" The Mistral Council Spokesman started, glaring at the President. "Why you needed such a massive fleet is beyond me."

"You've all demonstrated quite clearly that you're incapable of keeping this planet secure." Engel retorted, sitting down and locking his fingers together atop the table. "This fleet will be providing security for the duration of my stay here. And believe me, I will stay as long as it is required to secure this world."

"Is this entire meeting going to be you talking down to us?" The same Spokesman asked.

"Only if that's what it takes for you idioten to pull your heads out of your collective asses." Engel responded, glaring at the Mistral representative. "Let me get down to the first order of business. You can consider the Treaty of Mistral null and void."

"What?!" The Spokesman shouted, all of the eyes in the room trained on him. "You willingly signed that treaty!"

"And the treaty is now nonexistent." The President calmly explained. "The Senate, in a near-unanimous decision, has nullified it as of tomorrow morning."

"And where was our voice?"

"Turning a unanimous decision into a near-unanimous one." Engel answered. "You seem perfectly content to let our forces bear the brunt of an assault while yours cower behind the walls of the city. And since you seem so keen on allowing the UNSC to handle your kingdom's security, then we will do just that… on our terms. The Kingdom of Mistral is now subject to the statutes laid out in the Sydney Accords."

"So you call for peace, and then proceed to occupy our territory?"

"You don't get it, do you?" Engel asked, rhetorically. "This world is not at peace. The attacks on Vale and Mistral have proved that to the Senate and myself. Your lot are so disconnected from the people you supposedly govern, sitting in your keeps and watching the lands around you burn. When you finally come down from your high castle, then a second treaty may be signed between us. Until such a time, your kingdom will answer to the UEG in all matters concerning its defense."

"You dare call us 'disconnected' when you've just now decided to come to our world?!"

"You forget, the Military are my eyes and ears." Engel corrected. "This may be my first personal visit… but I'm well aware of the events that have unfolded here. Nothing happens on this planet without a report crossing my desk within the day. I've gotten more reports from this planet than any other in all of UEG space. This is not up for debate, I am _explaining_ to you how our relationship is going to work for the foreseeable future."

"Now, onto the second matter at hand…" Engel began, turning his attention away from the fuming Mistral leadership and over to the Atlas delegation. General Ironwood sat at the head of that delegation, his UNSC Army General's uniform covering him. "General Ironwood, I am hereby promoting you to Field Marshall and giving you command over the defense of Remnant. You are clearly the only person here who is capable of such a task."

"Thank you, sir." Ironwood nodded.

"Now we can move onto the third and final matter at hand." Engel said, sighing. "This preliminary meeting's main objective. In light of recent events, the UEG is hereby recognizing Menagerie as a nation of Remnant, and extends an offer of membership to the UEG." Everyone present, even the Menagerie delegation, went wide-eyed.

"With all due respect, Mister President…" The Vale Spokeswoman began. "You'd recognize an antiquated chiefdom as a legitimate government?"

"Kingdoms are centuries outdated, yet we recognized you." Engel countered. "Believe it or not, it can be difficult to establish a functional government when you're handed an inhospitable island that is almost entirely desert and told to 'make do' by the other nations of the world."

"This is an… unexpected offer." The Deer Faunus of the Menagerie delegation began, awestruck. "I assume that this would carry the same responsibilities that all other members of the UEG have?"

"Indeed it would." Engel said with a nod. "There is no preferential treatment before the law of the UEG… with this, all Faunus would be granted equal rights and privileges that are carried by all citizens of the UEG."

"This will… take some time." The delegate responded. "I'm sure you understand."

"Of course." The President nodded. "Something like this would indeed take time, and I'll await word from the Chieftain." The President leaned back in his seat. "Now… is there anything else we need to discuss?"

XXXXX

 **February 14, 2683; 1253 Hours**

 **Remnant, Menagerie**

"So… we've got two rich girls on our team now?" Yang asked with a smirk, playfully nudging Blake with her elbow. The group was walking towards the largest building visible, a manor in comparison to the smaller shacks and houses in the main settlement of Menagerie. Everyone in Team RWBY, except Blake and Ivan, were legitimately surprised to see Blake's home, and Yang was wasting no time with her teasing.

"You make it seem like I'm royalty or something." Blake said, rolling her eyes.

"Not exactly easy to make the distinction." Weiss added, throwing Blake off as she threw in her support for Yang's teasing.

Blake rolled her eyes, walking up to the large wooden door that faced the beach. Standing on her old doorstep for the first time in years, she hesitated. Yang looked to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You alright, Blake?" She asked.

"It's just… it's been a long time." Blake answered.

"Well… you've come this far." Yang comforted, giving her shoulder a light squeeze.

Blake sucked in a breath, reaching up and pulling back the large, cast-iron knocker handle. She banged the metal against the wooden door, causing a heavy clang to reverberate from the door.

"That's… intimidating." Weiss commented.

After a few moments of waiting, the door shifted open. From behind the door, everyone could swear that an older clone of Blake had poked her head out to look. She had Blake's eyes, her hair color, and the same cat ears resting atop her head. The only difference was that there were three piercings in her ears, and she looked far more mature. She seemed to glance over the group of six before her, then settled on Blake. Seeing the huntress before her, she stepped out from behind the door, her ears perked up. "Blake…?"

Blake gave a small, somewhat uncomfortable smile. "Hi… mom."

Without even a moment of hesitation, her mother stepped out and wrapped her daughter in a hug. "My baby girl… you're home."

Blake seemed to freeze for a moment, but then returned the hug with a broad smile on her face.

Before anyone else could react, a deep voice boomed from inside the large home. "Kali… who is it?"

Everyone looked over, spotting a massively tall, muscular man with no visible Faunus features to be walking towards the door. He wore a long, purple coat with a white fur trim that gave a slight air of elegance, while also providing quite a bit of air for his mostly-bare chest. He had a steel plate near his midsection, and quite neatly-groomed set of chest hair. Much like Blake, he shared her eyes and hair color. Ivan was surprised by his height… he very nearly stood taller than the SPARTAN.

His eyes immediately moved to Blake, followed by his jaw dropping open. "Hey… dad." Blake made out, a smile on her face.

In an instant, the man's open jaw was replaced with a broad smile. "Blake… you're home. And you've brought some friends…"

"Oh…" Blake said, suddenly remembering that everyone else was with her. "Mom, dad… this is Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Winter, and Ivan."

"A pleasure to meet all of you…" The man began, smiling. "I'm Ghira Belladonna, and this is my wife, Kali." After everyone went about their greetings, Ghira motioned for everyone to come inside. "Please, come in."

Everyone walked through the large, airy space of the Belladonna home, eventually making their way into an open dining area with a table set into the ground in a bit more of an oriental style. Ghira and Kali both sat in what seemed to be their place of choice, with everyone else taking whatever space they could.

"So…" Ghira began. "Looking at the two of you, you're SPARTANs, right?" He addressed Ivan and Winter, who were both wearing their MJOLNIR armor.

Ivan nodded. "Yes sir. We're the… first of the diplomatic party, in a way."

"Well, when your President told me that the UNSC would be sending a small security force for the meeting, he never told me that my daughter would be a part of it." He smirked, pouring himself a cup of tea from an already-present kettle. "It truly is an honor for the Hero of Vale to be here, Ivan."

"Thank you, sir." Ivan said, nodding.

"And the rest of you are Team RWBY, I'm assuming?" Ghira looked to Ruby, Weiss, and Yang.

"Yep!" Ruby excitedly said.

"We were horrified when we heard the news… Vale certainly wasn't perfect, but it didn't deserve an attack like that. We were both so worried when we saw that your name was on the news."

Ghira gave a hearty laugh. "Oh please, I knew she'd be fine."

"That's not true in the slightest." Kali smiled. "You all should have seen him pacing."

"I'll admit, it did get a bit hairy." Ivan said, nodding. "But we all made it out. If it weren't for them, a lot more students at Beacon would've been hurt."

"And someone… got themselves hurt to make sure I'd be okay." Blake gave a regretful half-smile to Yang, who immediately pulled her into a light side-hug.

"What happened?" Kali asked, immediately noticing a slight whirring sound coming from Yang's right arm.

"Yang… lost her arm protecting me." Blake answered.

"I told you to stop worrying about it, Blake…" Yang said, hugging her just a bit tighter. "You would've done the same for me. I got my arm back, anyways."

Blake blushed slightly as her mother mouthed out "I like her…" to her daughter. She made a mental note to break that ice soon.

"So, Ivan… when is the President going to be arriving?" Ghira asked.

"Within the hour." Ivan answered. "The hearing in Vale wrapped up just as we arrived." Right on cue, a loud knock sounded off from the door. "Speak of the devil…"

Ghira glanced back over to the clock on the wall, sighing. "Darn it, I completely forgot to reschedule that meeting." To accent his frustrations, he lightly pounded the table.

"Ghira…" Kali said, lightly laying her hand atop her husband's closed fist.

"Give me a moment, everyone. I'll be right back." Ghira said, standing upright and making his way towards the door.

"Is everything alright?" Blake asked, concerned.

"Yes, dear… it's just been hard dealing with them lately. He can reschedule."

"Dealing with who?" Blake asked, voicing everyone else's question.

"The White Fang." Kali answered as if it were completely benign.

"What?!" Everyone shouted out, startling the older Cat Faunus.

Ivan quickly reached behind his back, picking up his helmet and pulling it over his head as he stood. Winter mirrored his actions, both of them pulling their Battle Rifles from their backplate. With practiced precision he racked the charging handle back and flipped the weapon over to burst-fire mode. Kali watched, stunned, as the two SPARTANs and Team RWBY jogged over to the now-open door.

"Dad!" Blake called out, causing her father to turn around and reveal two robed, hooded figures on the other side of the door. One had the tail of a Corsac Fox and the other had Fennec Fox ears. Both of them seemed surprised to see the pair of SPARTANs making their way towards the door.

"What's going on?" Ghira asked. Ghira was stunned by what happened next.

"Left!" Ivan said to Winter, keeping his visor trained on the Corsac Faunus.

"Right." Winter affirmed, storming towards the Fennec Faunus.

In a flurry of motion, Ivan brought his rifle up in a brutal strike against the Corsac Faunus' chin, a heavy crack accompanying the strike. Winter bashed the butt of her rifle into the Fennec Fox Faunus' chest. Both of them fell down in a heap as the forceful blows from the two SPARTANs connected with them. Ivan stepped on his target's chest, keeping his rifle trained on his forehead. Winter's boot was firmly planted on her target's stomach, rifle also trained for the forehead.

"What in the world is going on?!" Ghira shouted, seeing that the two Faunus that he had just greeted were now the targets of his SPARTAN guests.

"What are you doing talking with these people?" Blake asked, honestly surprised at how well Ivan and Winter had managed to down the two hooded Faunus.

"These two represent the White Fang here in Menagerie! Why are you attacking them?" Ghira asked.

"These fanatics slaughtered people in Vale and in Mistral." Ivan answered, not taking his eyes off the stunned Faunus beneath his boot.

"What are you talking about?" Ghira asked, now seeming to have calmed a bit.

"Thirty six hours ago, the White Fang assaulted UNSC Military installations all across the kingdom of Mistral using Covenant weapons." Ivan answered. "The UEG Embassy in Mistral was firebombed, and two trillion in damages was caused to the City and UNSC Assets." Ivan's training had taken over. His response was clean, to the point, and calm. Deep down, however, he was furious.

"They had told me that a splinter group was responsible for the attack in Vale…" Ghira growled. "Now I'm not so sure." He walked over to the two pinned White Fang members, glaring down at them. "Is this true?"

"Sadly… it is." The Corsac Faunus responded, still dazed.

"Don't act like you don't know!" Ivan shouted, his emotions getting the better of him. "two thousand good men and women are dead because of you!"

"That's enough, Ivan…" Ghira said. "Talk." Ghira directed his anger at the two at his feet.

"We have ample documentation from the High Council…" Corsac began, finding himself cut off by a new, heavily-accented voice.

"Frankly, I don't give a damn about your documentation." President Engel calmly stated as he ascended the stone steps to the Belladonna household, joined by ONI Section Two Director Thorne and four ONI Security Forces SPARTANs. "Likely falsified, I'll review them with the Chieftain after we vent you two into a star. SPARTAN Chesnokov and SPARTAN Schnee, you stand relieved."

"Aye, sir!" The two SPARTANs declared, stepping off of their targets and allowing the ODSTs to hoist them onto their feet. Two SPARTANs handled each of the two White Fang representatives, one of them keeping a magnum leveled against their heads.

"Goodbye, gentlemen." Engel mocked as the SPARTANs led them back towards the town. As the SPARTANs finished descending the steps, the President turned to face the group before him, a small smirk on his face. "Chieftain Belladonna, I'm sorry that this had to be our first meeting. President Manfred Engel von Lettow-Vorbeck, at your service."

"A pleasure to finally meet you, Mister President." Ghira said, shaking the notably shorter German's hand. "I wish it were under… better circumstances."

"Indeed…" Engel agreed. He turned to Team RWBY. "And it is a pleasure to see Team RWBY again. It's quite good to see you as _you_ , Miss Belladonna."

Blake, still slightly stunned by the President's arrival and the sudden apprehension and promise of execution of the White Fang representatives, simply nodded.

Engel smirked. "Now… shall we get started?"

"Of course." Ghira agreed.

"Excellent." Engel nodded. "SPARTANs, you're dismissed. ONISEC will take over from here."

XXXXX

 **February 14, 2683; 1754 Hours**

 **Remnant, Menagerie**

Blake sat around the table with her mother, Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Ivan, and Winter. The latter two had long-since removed their helmets and had returned to their more… civilian personalities. Her father's study had been occupied by the President and Ghira for the better part of four hours now, with two SPARTANs standing guard by the door, both of them wearing midnight-black HELLCAT-pattern armor and wielding weapons that she had never seen before. They looked somewhat similar to that Light Rifle she had seen Ivan use on more than one occasion… but something about these rifles seemed more… human in construction.

"I'll admit…" Kali continued her thoughts. "Having two Schnees here is a bit… strange."

"The White Fang painted Weiss and her family in a bad light, honestly." Blake explained. "Her father, not so much, but her mother, brother, and sister are great people."

"I can certainly see that now." Kali agreed, smiling to Weiss and her elder sister.

"And would you believe that the two SPARTANs are dating?" Yang asked, earning a death-glare from Ivan, an amused smirk from Winter, and a broad smile from Kali.

"Seeing their faces after that comment, I can definitely see it." Kali laughed.

"You should have seen them on the trip to Earth." Yang added. "It was _amazingly_ funny."

"You're one to talk, Blondie." Ivan taunted, taking a sip of tea. "I've heard stories."

Blake immediately blushed at the memory. "Uhh… mom?" She asked, catching Kali's attention. "About that…"

"Yes, honey?"

"Yang's… a bit more than just my friend." Blake began. "We've been dating for almost two years now."

Kali seemed surprised by this for a moment, then settled on a smile. "Well, I knew that I liked you, Yang. I'm glad that you managed to find someone that makes you happy, Blake."

"So…" Yang began, smiling. "Does that mean I have your blessing?"

Kali laughed. "Yes, you have my blessing to keep dating Blake. I doubt you'd stop anyway, even if I said no." Kali turned back to her blushing daughter. "You should tell your father, Blake."

"I'll wait until he's done with the President, I wouldn't want to just barge in there." Blake said.

Kali smirked. "When I brought them more tea a minute ago, they were just chatting. It shouldn't be much longer."

XXXXX

 **February 14, 2683; 1934 Hours**

 **Remnant, Menagerie**

"Are you sure, Ivan?" Kali asked. "The guest house has more than enough room for all six of you."

"I'm quite sure, Missus Belladonna." Ivan affirmed. "Winter and I have something we need to see to. We should be back by tomorrow morning."

"Alright…" Kali relented. "Stay safe."

"We'll be fine." Ivan said, glancing over to Winter. "We've got each other, after all."

Kali laughed. "You two really are perfect."

Ivan chuckled. "Alright, we'll be getting out of your hair now." He pulled his helmet over his head, his VISR giving it a slight blue glow. "Don't get into any trouble, you four!" Ivan called out to Team RWBY, who were still sitting at the table.

"No promises!" Yang called back.

Ivan sighed, shaking his head. With that, he and Winter made their way out the door and towards the stone staircase leading back to the village. The shattered moon rested off in the distance, obscured slightly by the silhouette of _Light of Sol_.

"What do you think we'll find?" Winter asked, walking alongside Ivan.

"I don't know…" Ivan answered, honestly. "I've already alerted Thorne, and he's got support for us on-standby from orbit."

The two SPARTANs spotted their Pelican spooling up its engines on the beach, a Warthog attached to the magnetic clamp on the back. "Well, let's get going!" Winter said, smirking beneath her helmet.

XXXXX

 **February 14, 2683; 2041 Hours**

 **Remnant, Menagerie**

Blake stood outside of her father's study, awkwardly clutching her arm as she heard the sound of soft laughter from within. Her father and the President had finished their discussion some time ago, but the President had taken Ghira up on his offer to stay and talk.

Yang stood with Blake, arm wrapped around her waist. She had tried to get Blake to talk, but she clearly had other things on her mind. Despite this, when Yang tried to give her some space to think, the Faunus merely pulled her closer.

Blake was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even hear or see her mother approaching with a tray of tea. "You know… you can always go in and say 'hi'." Kali offered, the ceramic teapot and cups clinking slightly as she moved.

"I don't want to disturb them…" Blake offered in return.

"Nonsense… they're just talking." Kali responded. "A father's never too busy for his daughter."

Blake smirked. "Not all of my friends would agree with you on that."

Kali gave a small chuckle in return. She handed her daughter the tray, a small smirk on her face. "Here."

"What?" Blake asked, seeing her mother turn and start heading back inside. "Where are you going?"

" _You've_ never been very talkative, and your father's been talking politics all day." Kali answered. "I think he might like to hear about the adventures of Team RWBY."

Blake rolled her eyes as she saw the small smirk on Yang's face. "I know that look, Yang."

"What?" Yang asked, innocently. "I've done nothing."

"That's your pun face." Blake bluntly stated.

Yang scoffed. "I don't know what you're talking about." Her smirk immediately removed itself when Blake cocked an eyebrow.

Blake rolled her eyes again. "C'mon…" She nodded towards the door, beckoning for Yang to help her with the sliding glass portal.

As Yang pushed the door open, they both saw Ghira and the President sitting on opposite ends of a coffee table, cups of tea in their hands as they talked. The President had removed his long coat, his mostly-grey outfit visible, along with a jagged blue and gold cross hanging around his neck by an ornate ribbon. There were some words in a completely foreign language engraved on the cross, but neither of the girls had any idea what they meant. The President sent the two a small smile as they entered.

Ghira turned his head as he heard the glass door slide open, finding his daughter and her partner to be standing by the door. "Blake!" Ghira said, happily. "Please, come sit."

Blake and Yang both walked over to the unoccupied couch that sat in between the two armchairs that Ghira and the President occupied. "I don't want to keep you with-"

"Nonsense, please… sit down." Ghira dismissed her claims of intrusion. "We've both been cooped up in here all day."

Blake nodded, placing the tray down on the long coffee table. Ghira removed four of the cups from the tray, pouring warm tea into them, and handed one to Blake, one to Yang, placed one in front of himself, and slid the last one over to the President. "Thank you." Yang said, smiling.

"Danke, mein Herr." Engel said, nodding.

"You still take sugar, right?" Ghira asked, dropping a sugar cube into Blake's cup of tea.

"Actually…" Blake tried.

"Oh, sorry!" Ghira backpedaled, slightly flustered.

"No-no-no, it's fine." Blake insisted.

"Here, take this one." Ghira offered his own, sugarless tea to Blake.

"No, really… it's no big deal." Blake insisted once again.

As the two went about the most awkward battle of insistence, Yang worked to suppress a giggle. Engel smirked to himself, watching the awkward exchange take place before him. Seeing that the two had fallen into an awkward silence, Yang did the one thing she knew how to do. She turned to the President. "So… your new ship's nice."

Engel took a moment to process that comment, and all eyes turned to Yang. Ghira and Blake were confused, but the President merely laughed. "It is a nice ship." He made out after getting his laughter under control. "And that was a nice ice-breaker."

"I do my best." Yang smirked.

Blake playfully elbowed her partner's side, earning a smile from the blonde. Her attention was then grabbed by a question from her father. "So, Blake... I never did get to ask, how was Earth?"

"It was… amazing." Blake answered. "It was so peaceful, everything there is amazing."

"First place she dragged me to was a bookstore." Yang chimed in, earning a smile from Ghira.

"Some things never do change, do they?" Ghira wondered, smiling.

Engel's attention was grabbed by the communicator in his ear beeping softly. He glanced down to his wrist, his watch showing that he was getting a call from Director Thorne. "Excuse me for a moment, I need to answer this." The President stood, and made his way outside to speak with Thorne more privately.

As Ghira was left with his daughter and Yang, he found the conversation had fallen back into an awkward silence again. Choosing the first thing that came to mind, he spoke. "Blake… is it… warm in Vale?"

"What?" Blake asked, confused.

"It's just… you don't seem to have any armor."

"I don't need armor, I can take care of myself." Blake snapped. She knew it was really about how much… skin her outfit tended to show.

Ghira seemed stunned by her response. He let out a sigh before speaking again. "I know you can… I'm sorry."

Hearing her father apologize to her so readily, so earnestly, immediately made a wave of guilt wash over Blake. Being with her father for the first time in years, and him still being the same person that she remembered, broke down her stoic exterior. "Why?" She asked.

"Hmm?" Ghira asked.

"Why would you say that?" Blake asked, her voice solemn.

Ghira moved to sit on the edge of the couch. "Sweetheart, what's wrong? What'd I say?"

Yang watched as her girlfriend's normally subdued emotions came flooding out of her next words, and it broke her heart. "How can you still love me after what I did?" Out of reflex, Yang placed her hand atop Blake's, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"Blake…" Ghira said, placing a massive hand on her shoulder. "Your mother and I will always love you."

"You were right…" Blake managed, on the edge of breaking down. "I shouted at you, yelled at you… but you were right. I called you cowards!"

"It's okay." Ghira said, giving his daughter a loving hug.

"I should've left the White Fang with you and Mom." Blake continued, growing ever closer to tears. Yang had known Blake long enough to know that when she needed to get something off of her chest, it was best to let her do just that. She didn't need comforting words, she needed to vent. "I should've listened to you, and I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"Blake, it's alright." Ghira insisted. "We never held anything against you, and we never feared that you'd fail. The only thing I ever feared was that you'd fall down the wrong path. I'm so proud that you didn't."

"But I did!" Blake cried out, sniffling. "I was-"

"And you pulled yourself back out." Ghira interjected. "You came back. There aren't many people that have the strength to do that, much less face their demons again. Vale, Mountain Glenn, Beacon, Mistral… you confronted the White Fang time after time."

Blake seemed to calm down a bit at her father's words. She locked eyes with Yang's lilac orbs, an encouraging smile on the blonde's face. "I didn't do it alone. I had my friends…"

"And you have some amazing friends." Ghira added, smiling. "Even if two of them are Schnees."

Blake let out a small laugh. "They're nothing like their father. Winter and Weiss are… so much more than just their family name."

"I can tell." Ghira smirked, removing his hand from Blake's shoulder.

Yang immediately wrapped her partner in a bear hug, rubbing a comforting circle on her back. "And you got me through one of the worst times of my life, Blake." Yang consoled, pouring every ounce of gratitude she could muster into that hug. "I don't know where I'd be without you, but I know it isn't anywhere good. Thank you."

"You did the same thing for me, Yang." Blake returned the hug in full.

"Yang…" Ghira added. "Thank you so much for what you've done for my daughter. I'm happy that she's found such a wonderful friend."

"It…" Blake began, her face immediately breaking out in a blush. "It goes a bit further than that, Dad."

"What do you mean?" Ghira asked.

"Yang's… Yang's my girlfriend." Blake answered, earning a look of surprise from her father.

"I take it you don't mean she's your friend that happens to be a girl, do you?" Ghira asked, a smirk on his face.

Blake shook her head. "We've been together for about two years…"

Ghira nodded in understanding. "Well, I'm happy for you two." Ghira chuckled. "I had no idea that you'd be telling me you've been with another girl for two years when you first arrived."

"Honestly…" Blake began, locking her fingers with Yang's. "I had no idea that I felt this way until I met Yang…"

"The two of you make a perfect pair." Ghira smiled.

"She's practically my shadow by this point." Yang smirked, placing a kiss on Blake's cheek. "And I'm not just saying that because of her Semblance." Blake immediately swung her head around to glare at Yang, who had that stupid smirk on her face.

"I really like you, Yang." Ghira laughed.

Everyone's attention was immediately grabbed by a pained grunt from outside, followed by a heavy thud and shouting.

"Contact!" A deep, encoded voice shouted, followed by the rattle of automatic gunfire. Strangely enough, it didn't sound like a weapon that Blake or Yang was familiar with. It sounded more… subdued, quiet.

Immediately, the three occupants of the room bolted outside. They found a pair of SPARTANs in HELLCAT-pattern armor, as well as the President. The President was leaning against the wall, a small wound in his left shoulder. One of the two SPARTANs was tending to the wound with a biofoam canister, while the other had a Faunus by the neck.

The Faunus had a long ponytail, wore a black-brown outfit that kept her agile and mobile. Her mask was shattered, lying on the wooden floor. Blake recognized her immediately. "Ilia…" Blake made out, teeth clenched.

"You know her?" The SPARTAN holding her up by the neck asked.

"She's a White Fang assassin." Blake answered, glaring at Ilia, who was currently clawing at the armored gauntlet that was depriving her of oxygen.

"Only answer I need…" Engel made out between clenched teeth. "SPARTAN…"

"Understood, sir." The ONISEC SPARTAN responded. Silently, he reached down for the strange handgun at his hip, jamming the pronged barrel to her chin and pulling the trigger. Neither Blake nor Yang recognized this weapon. It bore some resemblance to the Boltshot that Ivan had shown them, but it looked… more in-line with a human hand.

A muffled sound of an energy weapon's report was heard, then a hole was burned clear through Ilia's skull, the blue bolt of energy splashing harmlessly against the wooden roof above. Ensuring the job was complete, the SPARTAN gave her neck a quick twist before dropping her corpse onto the floor.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, Ghira turned to Engel. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine." Engel said, standing upright and clutching the small, sealed hole in his shoulder. "Damnit, I'm getting too old for this shit…" Some blood had stained the grey fabric of his ensemble red.

"What color was she when she attacked you?" Blake asked, concern heavy in her voice.

"I didn't get a good look, I was too busy hitting the ground." Engel snarked in response.

"She might have poisoned you!" Blake declared.

"Biofoam has a universal counter-toxin." The SPARTAN that tended to his wound responded. "Any poison she used has already been neutralized."

Engel sighed, shaking his head. "Chieftain, I need you to tell me _exactly_ where the White Fang operates here in Menagerie."

"Why, sir?" Ghira asked.

"So my men can cut them out like the cancer they are." Engel declared, his voice hardened. "Captain…" He turned to the SPARTAN whose gauntlet was sticky with Ilia's blood. "Relay an order to _Light of Sol_ , bring the ship over Menagerie."

"Right away, sir!" The Captain responded, nodding.

"And get a Pelican here immediately, I'm going back to the ship."


	34. Chapter 34: Reconciliation

**Chapter 34: Reconciliation**

 **February 14, 2683; 2321 Hours**

 **Remnant, Menagerie**

Ivan pressed down on the accelerator as the Warthog made short work of the sandy deserts of Menagerie. Winter manned the chaingun on the back of the vehicle, prepared to open fire on any Grimm that got a bit too curious. She had already sawed a Giant Nevermore clean in half with .30 caliber rounds and broken up a pack of Beowolves. Luckily, ammo was not in short supply. There were three more 1000 rounds belts lying in a storage container, waiting to be strung through the receiver. "Any thoughts?" Winter asked into her helmet's communicator.

"I don't know what to expect, honestly." Ivan answered. "Could be a trap."

"Thorne's got the 1st ODST Battalion on standby for us." Winter added. "If it _is_ a trap, we'll be ready."

"Oh yeah, we will." Ivan affirmed. "I just… I can't shake this feeling I have. It's something deeper than just a trap. Somebody obviously intended for _me_ to come out here."

"Everybody you know is either here in Menagerie, in orbit, on Patch, or in Mistral." Winter wondered aloud. "Could it be Taurus?"

"Unlikely." Ivan answered. "He's too much of a coward to face us. He beat feet real fuckin' quick after he took Yang's arm."

As the two SPARTANs conversed, Ivan felt a strange rumbling in the very frame of the Warthog. At first, he attributed it to the hydrogen cell engine, but this was different. The wheel itself was shaking, and he could distinctly make out the sound of the ground around him rumbling. "Ivan… Look." Winter said.

Ivan slowed the vehicle down, glancing over his shoulder. Descending into the atmosphere was the entirety of _Light of Sol_ , the twenty seven kilometer frame glistening in the shattered moonlight. He could faintly see dozens of tiny specks leaving the hundreds of hanger bays within the ship, the faint silhouette of Pelican dropships visible against the backdrop of the starlit sky. "Well… damn." Ivan let out an appreciative whistle. He had no idea what had pushed the UNSC to bare its teeth like this, and he had a thousand worst-case scenarios playing out in his mind right now. "What's it doing in-atmo?"

"I have no idea." Winter admitted.

"SPARTAN C-124, how copy?" Thorne's voice came over his communicator.

"I'm hearing you, Thorne. Go ahead." Ivan answered, pushing the Warthog back to its limits.

"There's been an attempt on the President's life." Thorne made out, being as blunt as possible. "White Fang agent attempted to assassinate him."

Ivan's face, were it visible, would have been ghastly pale. "Am I hearing you right, Thorne? You said there was an attempted assassination on the President?"

"Affirmative, SPARTAN." Thorne returned, his voice grim. "Minor flesh wound, he'll be fine. Figured I should keep you updated on what's going on over here. Remnant FLEETCOM's dispatched the Marines 12th Division to Menagerie to root out the White Fang. After your personal mission is finished, you're being re-assigned to smash-and-grab ops against the Fang."

"Copy, Thorne." Ivan answered, keeping an eye on a distant Deathstalker. Just as he painted it with his VISR, Winter swiveled the gun around and fired a beam of green tracers at it, tearing through the armored carapace with ease.

"Good hunting, SPARTANs, Thorne out." Thorne cut the comms from his end, leaving Winter and Ivan to their thoughts.

XXXXX

 **February 14, 2683; 2352 Hours**

 **Remnant, Menagerie**

Ivan stepped on the brakes, the Warthog's tires kicking up packed sand as the vehicle slid to a stop. Of all the things he did not expect to find deep in a desert, a full platoon of dismantled Promethean Soldiers littering the side of a sandy dune was certainly near the top. With a grunt, he jumped out of the driver's seat, pulling his Battle Rifle into his grip a moment later. He walked to the nearest Promethean body, kneeling down to inspect it more closely. This Armiger, a Soldier Captain, bore scorch marks all along its armored chassis. The ground around each of the Armigers was scorched to a reflective, silicate glass. Even through his helmet's filtration systems, he could smell the distinct scent of plasma burns, along with… cooked flesh.

Ivan gave a quick hand gesture, motioning for Winter to join him. He heard her boots connect with the sand, her footsteps crunching the earth beneath her as she approached. "What is this?" Winter asked, looking around.

"Prometheans, cooked by plasma." Ivan answered, noting that the trail of Forerunner Alloy parts continued up the dune, probably over to the other side as well. "On me." He ordered, scanning his surroundings with his rifle as he ascended the dune.

" _Soleia, what do you have?_ " Ivan asked his Ancilla.

" _These Armigers were disabled recently, within the last thirty six hours. Much of their data is corrupted or destroyed, I cannot determine their cause of deactivation._ " Soleia answered. " _There are more over the dune… as well as within._ "

" _In the dune?_ " Ivan asked.

" _Yes._ "

As the SPARTAN reached the peak of the dune and looked down, it suddenly made sense. The dune itself was actually a Covenant Storm Phantom, almost completely buried beneath the desert sands. He could see the port side of the dropship sticking out from the dune beneath him, its bay just exposed enough.

Just as Soleia described, the ground below was littered with deactivated Prometheans and their weapons. Joining them were some bones, all of them Unggoy with a few Sangheili bones mixed in. Battered and beaten plasma weapons were half-buried in the sands as well, none of them looking anywhere close to functional. "What in the world…" Ivan wondered.

"Why would the coordinates lead to an old battleground?" Winter asked. "Was it the Covenant that engaged the Prometheans?"

"Unlikely." Ivan answered. "These weapons have been here since the Invasion, Soleia said those Prometheans were destroyed less than two days ago." He looked down to the purple surface of the Phantom that was jutting out from the dune below. "C'mon."

Ivan jumped down, his thruster pack slowing his descent enough to make the fifteen foot fall onto the Phantom's chassis more bearable. As his boots landed against the metal with a heavy clank, he noticed a small yellow blip on his motion tracker, just a few meters behind him. As Winter's own armor thudded against the surface of the Phantom, the blip appeared again, but was gone a mere moment later.

Ivan craned his neck to look to Winter, who gave him an understanding nod. He made a quick downwards motion with his left hand, earning another nod from Winter. Again, the two SPARTANs dropped from the top of the Phantom, finding themselves facing the thin port-side bay door, which was bent and warped from its crash, but still closed.

Ivan reached out to the Slipstream, calling a Pulse Grenade into existence. The blocky ordinance fell into his armored hand, awaiting activation. He pressed down on the activation key on the top of the grenade, and tossed it at the base of the warped metal door. In an instant, the aura of golden energy surrounded the grenade in a two-meter radius, rapidly eating away at the thin armor on the door. As the grenade reached the end of its active cycle, the aura imploded on itself, bringing the destabilized particles with it. The instant a sizable hole was ripped through the door, the two SPARTANs stormed in.

Both Ivan and Winter activated their VISR and the headlamps mounted on the sides of their helmets. Winter cleared the aft of the Covenant dropship, while Ivan cleared the bow. The moment Ivan's vision fell on the control console, he was greeted by a sight that made every iota of his being boil in rage.

He saw a tall, slender woman with black hair that was covered by a dark red dress, trimmed in gold. The raven hair covered her left eye, but the right eye was fully exposed, the amber iris staring at him, shocked. Her nose was covered by a large scar that seemed to run over to her left eye, underneath the hair that covered it.

Without a moment of consideration, he squeezed down on the trigger of his rifle, sending out a burst of three rounds. Obviously expecting this, Cinder reached out with her right hand, the rounds impacting against a projection of her Aura and ricocheting into the ceiling. Ivan didn't notice her lips attempt to form a sentence as he continued firing bursts at Cinder.

After the second burst of fire from his rifle, Cinder sent a plume of flame from her hand. It splashed against his shield, almost completely harmless against it. His rifle didn't fare quite as well. The polymers of the BR-85, while well-built, couldn't withstand the heat, and melted in his hands. The barrel and receiver warped, and the magazine in the rear of the rifle cooked off, sending shrapnel in all directions. As Winter wheeled around to fire, her rifle met a similar fate.

"Stop!" Cinder managed to make out, her voice hoarse and rough.

Despite her attempt, she felt Ivan's fist connect against her Aura, the sheer force of the impact causing her to slam into the control console behind her. "Plea-" Her attempt to speak was cut off as an armored gauntlet wrapped around her neck, pinning her to the metal wall. She managed to control her panic, legitimately surprised that the force applied wasn't enough to crush her throat. She took some comfort in the fact that the SPARTAN was holding back.

As Ivan reared his free hand back to strike at her nose, an attack that would surely kill her if he connected, she managed to croak out a pair of pleading words, causing him to hold himself back, his fist a mere four inches from sending her nose into the back of her skull. "Please, wait!"

A chill ran the length of Cinder's spine as the faintly glowing black visor of the ODST-pattern MJOLNIR armor glared at her. She could swear that she could see Ivan's eyes glowing from within, overpowering the reflective visor. "For what?" Ivan asked, his voice thick with disgust, and clearly even hatred.

"W-What?" Cinder asked.

"Wait…" Ivan began, accentuating every word with a slight pause. "For… What?!" He shouted. Behind him, Winter drew her magnum, leveling it at Cinder, prepared to fire if she attempted to break free.

"I-I don't want to fight you!" Cinder croaked out, her hair falling away and revealing the black piece of cloth that covered her missing eye. She put her hands out as a gesture of peace, but Ivan didn't back down.

"So you've had a sudden change of heart?" Ivan asked, sarcasm dripping from his words.

"Please…" Cinder pleaded again.

Ivan was legitimately surprised. He knew just how powerful this woman was. It took something that was nothing short of a miracle from Ruby to even defeat her once. He had no doubt that she would be able to vaporize him right here, right now, if she truly wanted to. The fact that she was offering no resistance to his grip was by far the most telling sign that she _might_ be telling the truth.

Seeing his lapse in action, Cinder grew hopeful. She had to suppress a relieved sigh as Ivan groaned, letting his fist fall to his side. "You're lucky that Thorne would prefer you _alive_." He released his grip on her neck, allowing her to fall back onto the metal floor of the dropship. Ivan reached into his combat harness, locking a pair of magnetic restraints around Cinder's wrists.

"Thank you…" Cinder managed as Ivan yanked her to her feet.

"Get moving." Ivan ordered, leading her by the arm out into the desert.

XXXXX

 **February 15, 2683; 0210 Hours**

 **Remnant, Menagerie**

Yang and Blake watched as the large fireteam of SPARTAN IVs stormed into the White Fang headquarters on Menagerie. Ten thousand Marines had been dispatched from the _Light of Sol_ , and they had quickly established martial law in the large coastal "capital". The ONISEC SPARTANs, after a few minutes of audible gunfire and detonating stun grenades, emerged from the large, two-story building with a large group of Faunus, their hands clasped atop their heads. The metallic barrels of rifles were buried in their backs as they were marched out of their compound.

Blake gasped as she saw a Dog Faunus with a bullet wound in his right arm stumble and trip over the uneven cobblestone path. She wasn't surprised by the slip-up, she was surprised by the response from a nearby ONISEC SPARTAN. He reached down, grabbing the Faunus by his spiky black hair, and yanked him to his feet. She could hear his pained scream as his ear was yanked by the augmented super-soldier.

"What's going to happen to them?" Blake asked, looking to Thorne.

Thorne looked up from his datapad, seeing the SPARTAN jab the barrel of his MA5 into the Dog Faunus' back. "They'll be processed and sent to the UNSC-operated POW camp in the deserts of Vacuo." Seeing the concerned look from Blake, he added an extra bit to the end of his explanation. "Don't worry, they'll be treated humanely."

Blake continued to watch as the Faunus were marched towards the beach by the SPARTANs. A few civilians watched in horror from their homes nearby. Some openly jeered at the UNSC forces, every manner of insult being thrown their direction.

"Human scum! Alien filth! Fascists! Swine!"

Blake tuned these insults out, knowing that the UNSC soldiers were professional enough to do the same. Truth be told, she was amazed by their stoicism. A few Marines retained enough composure to completely ignore the fact that people were jeering at them, spitting at them, and berating them. They only responded when something was thrown at them, and they only turned to point their weapons at the offenders, which was enough to encourage them to stop.

Her spectating was interrupted as a SPARTAN walked towards Thorne, a small crack webbings across his blacked-out visor. "Director, registry data in the compound confirms that all hostiles are captured or KIA. Further orders?"

"Negative, Lieutenant-Colonel." Thorne answered, sliding his datapad back into his coat. "See to it that they're brought to Vacuo immediately."

The SPARTAN gave a crisp salute. "Of course, sir!" With that, the SPARTAN turned back to the beach, where Pelicans were quickly closing in to transport them halfway around the planet.

Once again, she was distracted from her spectating, this time by the roaring of a Warthog's hydrogen engine. Everyone present, even Thorne, turned to look. They were greeted with the sight of Ivan and Winter deactivating the engine of their light recon vehicle. Strangely enough, there was a third person with them. Blake and Yang couldn't quite make it out from where they were, but they saw Ivan jump out of the Warthog, leading a third person around the corner, magnum pointed at her back. The both of them tensed as they saw _who_ he was leading towards Thorne.

Thorne's eyebrow perked up at the sight, and a small grin graced his usually stoic face. "Ah, Miss Fall… how kind of you to join us." He joked, seeing her restrained hands. "SPARTANs, where the hell are your rifles?"

"Slag." Ivan answered, remaining a single step behind Cinder at all times. "Surprisingly, she… cooperated. She has no intention of fighting us."

Thorne gave an amused hum, scanning Cinder with a clinical eye. "That change of heart would have been welcome quite some time ago…"

"She claims to have intelligence that is vital to our operations." Ivan added.

"Does she?" Thorne asked, his blue cybernetics meeting Cinder's one good eye.

"Yes…" She croaked out.

"Hmm…" Thorne hummed again.

Ivan turned his head as he heard his name called. "Ivan! You're back!" Ruby called out. She and Weiss both stopped in their tracks as Cinder turned her head towards Ruby. "Cinder…" She growled, reaching for Crescent Rose as Weiss brandished Myrtenaster.

"Relax." Ivan beckoned with his free hand. "She's not a threat at the moment." Reluctantly, Ruby and Weiss let their weapons lax in their grips.

"SPARTAN, bring her aboard _Light of Sol_. We'll determine what to do with her after an… interview" Thorne said, reaching up to his ear to call down a Pelican from the massive dreadnought holding its position over Menagerie.

XXXXX

 **February 15, 2683; 0236 Hours**

 **Remnant, UNSC** ** _Light of Sol_** **(Deck 93, Retention Block B)**

Cinder sat in the cold, metal chair. She silently cursed her choice of wardrobe for this as her bare legs pressed against the icy metal. Her wrist restraints were magnetically locked to the table before her. A cool metal object had been locked around her neck, something about it quelling her Aura. She was completely, utterly vulnerable here, and it was unnerving to her. Even more so than the fact that the room she occupied was guarded by a pair of Promethean Knights standing by the door, Binary Rifles ready to atomize her at a moment's notice.

Sitting across from her was Thorne. He bore a few new scars that he must have gained in between their last meeting at Firebase India. A scar, surgical in nature, ran the length of his jaw, following his jugular down beneath his collared shirt. "Now, Miss Fall… I'm sure you understand that your actions previously would brand you as a terrorist, a crime punishable by death under UEG Law." Seeing her lack of acknowledgement, Thorne simply continued. "However… I am in a position to offer you a _single_ chance." He reached into a briefcase, revealing a harrowing device that looked like a combination of handgun and syringe. He laid it on the metal table with a light clatter.

"Since you claim to be able to assist in our operations against Salem, and you've granted me knowledge that will greatly assist us in this goal, I'll allow you to work with us in the field. Your knowledge of the… realm that Salem inhabits will be invaluable once we find a way to reach it."

He lightly tapped the device on the table. "Should you agree… you'll be placed under the direct observation of SPARTAN Chesnokov and SPARTAN Schnee. You will be conscripted into the ranks of the Office of Naval Intelligence as a field operative, but you will have no high-level clearance. You will answer to SPARTAN Chesnokov for the duration of your… career with the Office. This device, however, is the catch."

"Being?" Cinder asked, her voice still rough and coarse.

"This medical injector will implant a fifty gram cybernetic just above your top Cervical Vertebrae." Thorne began, leaning forward slightly and glaring into her eye. "Any, and I mean _any_ bullshit from your end, and I'll remotely detonate the C-12 charge contained in this cybernetic. Fifty grams might not sound like much, but it's more than enough to sever your spinal cord. You wouldn't even have the time to _think_ about what you've fucked up before your spine pops."

"Will this-" Cinder coughed, her voice giving way for a moment. "Be permanent?"

"No." Thorne answered. "Should you prove loyal, once this is all over, the cybernetic will be removed and you'll be absolved of _most_ of your crimes against the UEG and Remnant. Despite this, you will remain under lifetime probation and be under constant surveillance by the Office of Naval Intelligence."

"What does that mean?" Cinder croaked out.

"You would not be permitted to leave Remnant without explicit permission from ONI, and you would report to an ONI Agent every thirty days for an evaluation for ten years. After that, these evaluations become an annual event. You would be permitted to vote, own property, et cetera."

Cinder gave a nod. "Okay…" She managed.

Thorne smiled. "Excellent." With that, he grabbed the medical injector, walked behind her, and pressed the device to the base of her skull, and pulled the trigger. Cinder let out a startled yelp and winced as the device injected the cybernetic bomb. A moment later, a feeling of cold washed over her neck as the device sprayed a small amount of biofoam into the puncture.

With a small, satisfied grin on his face, Thorne sat back down, allowing the injector to rest against the table again. "Now, as for the eye…" He began reaching into his briefcase once again. "Flash cloning would be impossible for the eye, too much time has passed to allow the procedure to take place, but we could repair the skin by grafting flash-cloned skin. The eye could be replaced by a cybernetic, as well."

"And my-" She coughed again. "Voice?"

"An easy fix, flash cloning of your vocal cords and replacement of any damaged cells should repair the damage." Thorne answered without missing a beat.

Cinder nodded. "Okay…"

"One more question…" Thorne added, placing the injector back into his briefcase and closing it up. "Why help us now?"

Cinder seemed genuinely thoughtful for a moment, looking down to her hands. "I… I've seen what she can do… I've seen what she wants… and I'm-" She hacked and coughed, her voice straining from extended use. "Repulsed by the others."

"Others?" Thorne asked.

"Tyrion." Cinder answered. "And Watts, and Reinart."

"Interesting…" Thorne hummed. "I'll look further into this; we can discuss more once your procedures are done." Thorne pressed a button on his wrist-mounted computer, causing Cinder's magnetic restraints to unlock and fall over, inert. Similarly, the device around her neck fell slack and clattered against the metal floor. The moment the collar deactivated, she could feel her Aura slowly return to full strength.

"Knights." Thorne addressed the Promethean guards by the door. The two androids rumbled in their synthetic language, their synthesized noises in perfect unison. Cinder had no idea what they were saying, but Thorne evidently did. "Escort Miss Fall to Med-Bay 03 on this deck."

With a rumble of acknowledgment from the two Knights, one stepped behind Cinder and one remained in front of her. With a quick motion from Thorne, the Forerunner Alloy door gave a pleasant chime and slid open, revealing the brightly-lit internal corridors of _Light of Sol_.

XXXXX

 **February 15, 2683; 1321 Hours**

 **Remnant, UNSC** ** _Light of Sol_** **(Deck 93, Medical Bay 03)**

Cinder awoke with a light throbbing in her skull, the heavy pounding against the internals of her head reminding her of her situation. She was truly amazed by Thorne's offer. She had fully expected to be shipped off-world to a prison, much like Mercury and Emerald. Instead, he offers her a second chance. That was more than she had ever received.

As she sat up, she found herself enclosed in a set of privacy shutters, lying on a rather comfortable bed that seemed far too long for the average Human. Her mind was still foggy from the anesthetics that were administered by the UNSC doctors, barely even remembering that she had exchanged her red dress for a rather thin, uncomfortable hospital gown. She sighed, pleasantly surprised to see that her throat no longer rattled and rasped at the action, and undid the knot that held the gown on.

She allowed the medical attire to fall to the floor, shivering slightly as the cool breeze that was circulated through the ship met her naked skin. She found her clothing to be neatly folded and cleaned, sitting atop a small table by the foot of her bed. Wordlessly, she stepped into her dress and heels, savoring the warmth that the infused Dust brought with it.

As she noticed the mirror that was hanging from the wall next to her bed, she took a deep, steadying breath as she strolled over to it, her glass heels clicking against the Forerunner Alloy that made up the floor. As she approached, she brushed her hair away, revealing her left eye. She already knew that the cybernetic eye was working, since her depth perception had returned, but she was more concerned with seeing if all of the damage was repaired.

As she looked to her reflection, she was amazed to see that any traces of scarring were completely gone, replaced by her normal, flawless skin. She lightly traced her fingers across the repaired flesh, surprising even herself by the smile that crossed her lips as she did so. She let out a content sigh, letting her hand fall back to her side.

She allowed herself a hum, testing the range of her repaired speech. Seeing that there was no discomfort, no irritation, and no cracking, she began humming a more complex tune, eventually allowing herself to softly sing a tune. She didn't know where she knew it from… she just always did. It brought her a certain measure of comfort, and she was _really_ hoping that it still had that power as she remembered the explosive that was implanted in the base of her skull.

She was so caught up in testing her newly-reacquired talents that she gave a slight jump as the privacy shutters slid open behind her. She could see a familiar, scarred SPARTAN IV standing on the other side of the shutter, helmet cradled under his arm. "John Lennon?" Ivan asked, nothing in his tone betraying the stoic look on his face.

"What?" Cinder asked, silently reveling at the sound of her own voice.

"Nothing…" Ivan said, shifting his helmet in his hands. "Let's go, Pelican's waiting in the Hangar."

Cinder nodded, walking at a practiced pace to keep up with the taller SPARTAN's long strides. As Ivan led her through the labyrinth of corridors, she truly got an idea of just how massive this ship was. She had seen it resting over Menagerie during their hours-long drive back from the desert site, but she had only really started to understand its nature now that she was inside. When she first saw it alongside the _Infinity_ -class _In Spirit of Fire_ , which was absolutely dwarfed, she was suddenly far surer of her decision.

As Ivan marched past the Human and Promethean occupants of the ship, he had a stoic expression locked on his face. She knew with relative certainty what he was thinking. He probably wanted nothing more than to kill her right now. "Ivan…" She began, earning a cocked eyebrow from the SPARTAN. "Thank you."

"For what?" He asked. There was no outward hostility in his words… more of a genuine questioning.

"Not killing me." Cinder answered, earning a hum from the SPARTAN.

"Thorne wanted you alive…" Ivan answered, stepping past a Knight that was walking the corridor.

"I know it doesn't mean much, but…" Cinder began, doing something she hadn't done for as long as she could remember. "I'm sorry."

Ivan let out a dark chuckle. "Tell that to the ruins in Vale."

That deflated Cinder immediately. She simply walked alongside the SPARTAN in silence for the rest of the way, but her mind settled on something he had said before. It felt like a lifetime for her.

 _Everyone can be forgiven…_

She took some solace in that phrase uttered by the same SPARTAN that had been mere inches from ending her life just a few hours ago. She'd try her best… that explosive in her neck was a hell of a motivator, too.

XXXXX

 **February 15, 2683; 1401 Hours**

 **Remnant, Menagerie**

Cinder felt the dropship beneath her jolt as it touched down on the surface of Menagerie. She had kept her gaze anywhere but on the SPARTAN that sat across from her, helmet resting against his leg. The ride was only a few minutes, but it felt like hours with the palpable tension in the air. She glanced over to the rear door as it hissed open, allowing the salty air of the seaside town to flood into the crew compartment. She stood up a moment after Ivan did, descending the small ramp.

She looked around the town, which was bathed in the midday sunlight. Evidently, the martial law that was established by the UNSC was still in effect, as evidenced by the squads of Marines that were patrolling the streets, but everything seemed to have calmed down after the previous night. The _Light of Sol_ had even moved into a position over the ocean, as opposed to directly over the settlement.

She followed behind Ivan as he led the way towards the large, central building in the settlement. She ignored most of the looks she got from the passing Marines, she knew that word had probably gotten out about her sudden… "Recruitment."

As they neared the large household, she turned to Ivan. "Did you… tell everyone else about this?" She asked.

For the first time all day, Ivan met her eyes. "No… that's for you to do."

It was right about here that Cinder's heart slammed into her stomach.


	35. Chapter 35: Truth

**Chapter 35: Truth**

 **February 15, 2683; 1410 Hours**

 **Remnant, Menagerie**

Cinder, not that she would ever outwardly show it, was terrified. As she stepped through the front door of the Belladonna household, the first person she saw was the ivory-haired Winter Schnee, still clad in her midnight-black MJOLNIR armor. She was leaned against the wooden wall, arms crossed. Her icy blue eyes stared Cinder down, analyzing every inch of her. "Ivan." She averted her gaze from Cinder, giving the SPARTAN next to her a curt nod.

"Winter…" Ivan began, stopping his stride to speak with her. "What's going on?"

"I've let everyone else know about the… new addition to the strike team." Winter explained, giving Cinder another sidelong glance. "The response was about what you'd expect."

Ivan nodded in understanding. "Alright… any word from Mistral?"

"Negative." Winter answered. "All quiet."

"Good." Ivan nodded. "Where is everyone else?"

"In the dining room." Winter nodded over her shoulder. "President's back in the study with Chieftain Belladonna."

"Explains the Snipers." Ivan shrugged.

Cinder didn't see any snipers on the way here… but she supposed that they wouldn't be very good snipers if they could be seen from the streets. She had seen what those UNSC sniper rifles could do firsthand… it wasn't pretty. How they managed to conceal themselves with such massive rifles was beyond her.

"C'mon." Ivan nodded for Cinder to follow him.

Cinder followed behind the SPARTAN, silently watching his body language. He seemed to relax around Winter. She had put two and two together the previous night. Try as Ivan might, Cinder could easily tell that he was romantically involved with the ivory-haired SPARTAN. It was in the way he talked with her, the way he walked around her, and the way that his voice seemed to slip into a more… human tone.

As she was led through a large entryway, she was greeted with the large, central dining room. She immediately felt all eyes in the room turn to glare at her. Ruby and Yang had a fiery look in their eye as they stared her down. Weiss kept a hand on the grip of Myrtenaster, her eyes burrowing through Cinder's very being. Blake had her hand wrapped around Yang's own organic one, amber eyes bearing down on her.

"Sit." Ivan ordered, making his way towards one of the two unoccupied ends of the table. Winter followed him, sitting down beside him. This left Cinder with an entire section of the table to herself. Wordlessly, she sat down, doing her best to appear confident despite the situation.

"This is bullshit, Ivan." Yang said, turning to the SPARTAN.

"Yeah!" Ruby agreed. " _She's_ the enemy."

"I don't like it any more than you do." Ivan addressed everyone at the table. "But, like it or not, Cinder is useful."

"Useful or not, how do we know she won't betray us?" Weiss asked.

"Because Thorne gave us a bit of an insurance policy." Ivan answered coldly, resting his arms against the table. "Even if she did attempt to betray us, she wouldn't make it very far."

"What's stopping her?" Yang asked.

"An explosive in my head." Cinder answered, surprising everyone with her collected tone, despite the circumstance. "And I'd appreciate you all not talking about me like I'm not sitting right here."

"And I'd appreciate not getting my arm cut off." Yang fired back, her cybernetic limb wrenching into a fist.

"That wasn't my doing." Cinder retorted.

"But Beacon was." Blake fired back.

"Goddammit, enough!" Ivan declared, stopping everyone in their tracks. "Like it or not, we're _all_ going to have to work together. None of us can afford being at each other's throats. I don't expect any of you to put this aside right away, but if this shit starts interfering with the mission, then we're going to have problems."

"So what, we're supposed to forget about what she did because she let Thorne put a bomb in her head?" Weiss demanded.

"No, you're supposed to watch her." Ivan answered. "Thorne placed her in our strike team because we can keep an eye on her. Like it or not, the intelligence she can provide will be crucial."

"Really?" Yang asked, eyebrow cocked.

"Yes." Cinder confidently replied. "I can tell you with relative certainty that Haven Academy will come under attack within the month. The Headmaster is working with Dr. Arthur Watts, one of Salem's other agents." Cinder allowed herself a satisfied smirk as everyone looked to her, stunned. "Among other things, Salem is working to find the Spring Maiden as well."

"And where would she be?" Ivan asked.

"In Mistral…" Cinder answered. "Her hope is that the attack on Haven draws her out."

"Well… This should be easier for us to respond to." Ivan sighed. "We have some advance warning this time. I'll forward this information to HIGHCOM. Is there anything else you can tell us?"

"I have something that… might help you all trust me." Cinder admitted, drawing everyone's gaze over to her. "Yang… I know where your mother is."

The entire table fell silent. Yang, naturally, was the first to speak. "What…?"

"I know where your mother is." Cinder repeated. "She's in Mistral… she's the leader of a small nomadic tribe. She's crossed Salem, and she's in danger."

"How did she cross Salem?" Yang asked, face hardened.

"She spoke with Thorne." Cinder answered easily.

"Bullshit." Yang responded.

"We'll see…" Ivan said, raising a hand to his ear. "Director Thorne, C-124."

"I read you, SPARTAN." Thorne answered, his voice coming over the communications after a short delay. "Is there a problem?"

"No sir, I need confirmation on something." Ivan answered. "Did you meet with Raven Branwen?"

For the first time that Ivan could remember, Thorne didn't have an immediate response. "I did…" He admitted. "Why?"

"Cinder believes that she is in danger. She's in Mistral, according to her." Ivan answered.

"Understood, SPARTAN." Thorne answered. "Once the President's off Menagerie, you're cleared to investigate once you return to Mistral. Was there anything else?"

"Yes, sir." Ivan answered again. "Haven Academy will be coming under attack soon, the Headmaster's working with Salem."

"I had my suspicions, I'll get agents to start monitoring him." Thorne responded easily. "I'll assign Robertson's team to the QRF and place our forces in Mistral on standby for the foreseeable future."

"That's all, sir." Ivan finished.

"Copy, Thorne out." Thorne cut the comms from his end.

XXXXX

 **February 18, 2683; 1741 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral**

Ivan watched Yang shift uncomfortably in her seat on the Pelican. They had scarcely been back in Mistral for more than a day before they all boarded a Pelican, heading to the last known location of a relatively large nomadic tribe in the wilderness of Mistral, not far from the village of Kuroyuri. Ruby and Weiss were strapped into the safety harnesses of the Pelican's passenger bay, watching everyone in silence. Blake's fingers were intertwined with Yang's own, rubbing a comforting circle on the back of the blonde's hand. Winter scanned a topographical map of the village, occasionally shooting a glance over to Cinder. Cinder was watching everyone curiously, hands gripping the metal harness keeping her strapped into the seat.

"You alright, Yang?" Ivan asked just as Blake rested her hand on Yang's leg.

"I don't know…" She answered, honestly.

"Colonel, we're two minutes out!" The pilot's voice came over the dropship's PA system. "SATCOM confirms that the village of Kuroyuri is abandoned."

"Land five hundred meters out." Ivan ordered. "Notify Idris Wing of the new LZ."

"Copy." The pilot responded.

"Ivan…" Ren's voice called out over the communicator network. "Why are we going here?"

"This is the last confirmed location of the tribal nomads." Ivan answered. "It's the best lead we have."

"Colonel!" The pilot called out again. "Unidentified Grimm near the LZ."

"What do you mean it's unidentified?" Ivan asked.

"It's… like a Horseman." The pilot explained.

"No…" Ren muttered, obviously not having turned his comms off.

"Ren, what is it?" Ivan asked.

"The Nuckelavee…" Ren half-whispered.

"Colonel, Idris-One's been hit!" The pilot shouted. "Right wing completely severed!"

"Set us down. Now!" Ivan shouted. The Pelican lurched beneath the passengers as it ducked down into a nearby clearing. As the rear door opened and the safety harnesses raised, Ivan heard a spine-chilling screeching, followed by the sound of snapping trees and the staccato of automatic gunfire. As the metallic restraints lifted, Ivan stood upright and pulled his BR-85 into his hands, storming out into the dense woods surrounding Kuroyuri.

Above him, a pair of Pelican Gunships fired a quick salvo of dumb-fire rockets, earning another screech. An instant later, a charcoal-black… arm speared through the reinforced glass of the lead gunship's cockpit, sending it into a flat spin and crashing into the ground below. "Holy shit!" Ivan shouted, following the elastic arm back to its origin. Indeed, Ren's name for the creature was in fact accurate. It appeared as a horseman, surrounded by the thin black wisps that many creatures of Grimm gave off. The 'man' half of its body appeared as a skinless human, bony horns protruding from its head. It had lifeless, glowing red eyes and moved with erratic twitching motions. Its vision snapped over to the landed dropship, its mouth opening to release another grating screech. "Move in!" Ivan shouted, sprinting forward and firing a burst from his rifle, Winter following close behind.

Team RWBY split up, with Ruby and Weiss darting off to the right while Blake and Yang sprinted off to the left. Cinder ran behind Ivan and Winter, a plume of orange flame rocketing out from her palm. Behind the SPARTANs, Fall Maiden, and Huntresses; Team JNPR and Team CFVY jumped from the back of a low-hovering Pelican, all of them sprinting forward to meet their comrades.

Cinder's flames struck the Grimm, causing it to stumble backwards. It rose back onto its equine legs, letting out another screech in defiance of Cinder's attack. "Ivan, we need to draw it into the village!" Cinder shouted, maintaining her attack. "We need to restrict its movement!"

"Force it back!" Ivan shouted into the Battle Net. At his command, a SPNKr rocket slammed into the side of the Grimm's equine half, causing it to stumble back again. A few Marines had survived the Idris-One's crash landing, and had moved up to assist them.

XXXXX

 **February 18, 2683; 1756 Hours**

 **Remnant High Orbit, UNSC** ** _Light of Sol_** **(Deck 01)**

Thorne felt his body tense for the briefest moment as he stepped aboard _Light of Sol_. A shiver ran the length of his spine, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end as his boots met the metallic floor. There were a few crewmen milling about the hangar bay, tending to the various aircraft. He relished the… familiar feeling of the vessel for a moment before strolling through the massive hangar.

As he strolled through the winding halls of the vessel, the crew gave him salutes as he passed. He returned each and every one of them with practiced reflex. As he neared the center of the massive vessel, he was greeted by a familiar sight.

The large, metallic blast door before him was guarded by a pair of SPARTAN IVs in all-black HELLCAT-pattern armor, carrying their… newly reacquired Particle Rifles. The blocky, short rifle was forged from a gleaming steely-gray metal, its barrel embedded in the center of the blocky formation. "Director…" The left-most SPARTAN addressed Thorne, saluting.

"Major…" Thorne nodded. "I received the report, you said something new has been discovered?"

"Yes, sir." The Major nodded, lowering his arm. "Doctor Cade managed to decipher the information you recovered from the Core. Your access is required to unlock the rest."

Thorne nodded. "As you were." As the SPARTANs stepped aside, allowing their Director past, Thorne stepped up to the metal door. As he neared, the door slid open, revealing a technological marvel. With the re-activation of the vessel, this entire deck had been re-opened for access. The data vault of _Light of Sol_ glowed a pale blue, dozens of databanks sprouting from the floor as Thorne entered.

Thorne approached one that was blinking from the pale blue to a bright red, pulling the sleeve of his coat up slightly and exposing his forearm. As he approached, the metallic surface shifted, coming to resemble a Human hand. Thorne placed his hand against the scanner, the metal plates quickly engulfing his hand.

The former SPARTAN took a deep breath, waiting for the ship's systems to recognize him. As the scanner confirmed his identity, it gave a satisfactory ping. "Clearance accepted." The synthesized tone of the data storage unit stated.

An instant later, the scanner released Thorne's hand, allowing it to fall back to his side. The data store split open, revealing the secrets stored within. Ancient maps of the Milky Way galaxy shimmered into view, labeled in various glyphs that only a select few truly understood. "Narrow search parameters to Charum Hakkor, active fleet assets." Thorne ordered. "Authorization code: 'You Are What You Dare'."

"Clearance accepted." The system acknowledged. "Narrowing search for active vessels of the Charum Hakkor fleet." Thorne watched as thousands of words blinked before his eyes, eventually settling on a list. "Search complete."

Thorne scanned the now-recovered data. Most of the vessels on this list were listed as "Lost with all hands", but two stood out. The first, _Eternity's Gate_ , was completely ignored by the Director. He had that ship to thank for the HELLCAT armor and the Particle Rifles, after all. The second, a relatively new entry, was his focus. The vessel, known in this system as _Erde Tyrene_ , was listed as a First-Rate Tuned Platform. The real kicker was its listing. It was listed as "Active".

"What is known about the _Erde Tyrene_?" Thorne asked.

"The Servitors aboard the First-Rate Tuned Platform, _Erde Tyrene_ , fulfilled the Human Lord of Admirals' last directive in full." The Database declared, a small flicker of hope welling up in Thorne's chest. "The Servitors have confirmed the lack of Forerunner presence in the Path Kethona Dwarf Galaxy. Furthermore, the Servitors have confirmed the lack of the Shaping Sickness in this Dwarf Galaxy."

"What of its secondary objective?" Thorne asked.

"The second satellite galaxy, Path Meridius, yielded similar results." The Ancilla in charge of the database declared. "However, the continued presence of Precursor Relics has been confirmed. Due to the distance of this satellite galaxy, four hundred and ten parsecs from the rim of the Milky Way, it is quite likely that these artifacts have survived the deployment of the Halo Array."

Thorne nodded. "What is the projected timeframe of reaching this satellite galaxy with the current superluminal capabilities of the species?"

"This vessel could complete the journey, with the deployment of Probability Mirrors, from this location in eight months." The Ancilla answered. "Taking the specifications of the _Infinity_ into account, the original pattern of this vessel could make the journey from Erde Tyrene in eleven standard months. However, due to the lack of deployable Probability Mirrors, this voyage would likely destroy the vessel. The Causal Reconciliation is simply too great for this vessel to handle without the supportive infrastructure."

"Were any planets discovered in this dwarf galaxy that would be suitable for Human life?" Thorne asked.

"Yes… one." The Ancilla responded. "Downloading the star charts for you now."

"Excellent." Thorne said, receiving the data on his neural implant. "I'm done here."

"Logging you out, IsoDidact." The Ancilla spoke one final time before returning to an inert state.

Thorne removed the glove from his hand, tucking it into his coat. The glove was laced with flash-cloned cells sustained in a Biofoam mixture. "Thanks, John…" Thorne muttered to himself, turning to leave.

XXXXX

 **February 18, 2683; 1801 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral**

"Pin its arms!" Ruby shouted out, deftly dodging a strike from the Nuckelavee with her Semblance.

"Nora! Pyrrha!" Ivan shouted, emptying his magazine into the Grimm's equine half, sliding a new one into the rear of the Battle Rifle.

"On it!" Nora shouted in return.

Cinder had completely eviscerated its legs, rendering it completely immobile. Even then, this Grimm was proving a threat unlike anything they had encountered before. It had a seemingly limitless endurance, taking multiple direct hits from both HE and HEAT warheads. Entire chunks of its body were missing, yet it kept on fighting.

Pyrrha deftly leapt over the incoming arm that was bearing down on her, bringing her spear down through the thin, elongated flesh and burying the tip of her spear into the stone ground below. Nora did the same, launching herself over the attacking appendage and bringing her hammer down on its clawed hand, burying it beneath its weight in an impact crater.

The creature fell to its equine knees with a pained screech, the noise deafening over the staccato of gunfire from the nearby Marines. The Assault Rifles, Battle Rifles, and Railgun slugs kept pouring into its body, steadily chipping away. Ivan couldn't help but be amazed as he watched Ren rocket forward, speed that he had never seen the quiet young man achieve before allowing him to cross the distance between him and the Grimm almost instantly. In a blur, he dug the blades of his machine pistols into the creature's neck, and ripped outwards in separate directions. A spray of black mist nearly engulfed Ren, the Grimm slumping over a moment later, head hanging on by a thin layer of flesh. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief as they watched the telltale signs of Grimm death, the Nuckleavee began disintegrating before their very eyes.

Everyone around the decomposing corpse was panting, trying desperately to take in the breath their bodies needed. They had spent the better part of half an hour whittling this creature down. Ivan watched as the dozens of arrows, spears, and swords that were embedded in the creature's flesh clattered to the ground, the only reminder of its existence.

Ivan huffed, letting his grip on his Battle Rifle slack a bit. He opened a comms channel to the airbase. "Vorbeck Airfield, this is SPARTAN C-124 requesting immediate Medevac for wounded at my current location."

"Acknowledged, Colonel." The Captain responded. "Pelicans en-route, ETA: fifteen minutes."

As Ivan pulled himself back into the present, he looked over to find Ren kneeling down and picking up one of the arrows. It was corroded from decades of exposure, but certainly seemed stylized. Ren delicately held the arrow in his hands, staring down at it. Nora was standing next to him, hand on his shoulder.

He simply sighed, looking over to the Marines that had split up into two groups. Half of the remaining ten Marines had gone back to tend to the wounded, while the five other had begun walking towards the group of Huntsmen. "Fucking hell…" Ivan muttered, placing his Battle Rifle back on the magnetic strip on his back. He shot a glance over to Cinder, who was standing a few meters away with a semi-interested look on her face. She dared not do anything other than stand there.

"What is it?" Winter asked, walking over to Ivan. She had noticed a slight spike in his heartbeat, and a small adrenaline dump.

"I just…" Ivan thought of the proper phrase. "You know the buildup of static electricity that happens when a Slipspace drive is charging?"

"Yeah…" Winter nodded, confused.

"I just felt it…" Ivan muttered, looking around. "I know I always 'feel' a nearby Slipspace jump, but this was way more intense… almost like it was closer." He suddenly felt a strange, almost familiar sensation. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he heard the faintest whisper in the back of his mind. _"Behind."_

Without a moment's hesitation, Ivan wheeled around, raising his rifle again and scanning the nearby ridgeline. At the same time, he activated his helmet's thermal optics. Much to his surprise, he saw a collection of thermal signatures standing near the edge of the ridge, attempting to conceal themselves in the treeline. All of them were human in shape. "Contact at my Twelve!" Ivan shouted.

Instantly, everyone around him wheeled to face the elevated ridgeline, weapons raised. One of the five Marines, who was carrying a DMR, shouted out. "Grimm masks!"

Just as the Marine shouted out, the six figures that were standing in the trees quickly became twenty as more stepped into view and stood upright. "Hold fire!" Ivan shouted. He couldn't shake the feeling that if they were hostile to them, they would have already opened fire. He certainly hoped that he was right.

Almost as if the figures had known their intentions from the start, one of them slid down the sheer ridgeline, falling to his feet with a heavy thud. He began approaching the large group of Huntsmen and UNSC soldiers, a practiced confidence in his stride. As Ivan flicked off his thermal imaging, he saw that the man was dressed in a strange, all-black set of clothes that looked almost like robes. He carried an expertly crafted shortsword at his hip and a plate metal shield on his back. He was indeed wearing a Grimm mask, but it was… different than the White Fang's. It was more angular, looking almost like a Nevermore.

"You've defeated the Forest Guardian… impressive." He commented, walking towards the Huntsmen and Soldiers, despite the fact that many of them were still aiming their weapons at him.

"Stand down." Ivan declared, lowering his rifle.

"Thank you." The masked figure said, bowing his head slightly. "My apologies for the sudden appearance, but we did not know your intentions. It would be foolish of us to assume you would be passive to us. We have had very limited contact with you off-worlders, after all. Might I ask why you are here?"

"We're looking for someone." Ivan answered, the pieces falling into place. The masked figure cocked his head in a questioning gesture, prompting Ivan to elaborate. "Raven Branwen."

The masked figure seemed to straighten up a bit. "The fact you know our leader's name would be cause for concern under normal circumstances. However…" He looked over to the sheer number of Huntsmen, joined by two SPARTANs and a small platoon of Marines. "This is far from a normal circumstance." Ivan glanced over to Yang, who was listening with interest. "We can bring you to our camp."

"Excellent." Ivan nodded. "Marines, regroup at the crash sites and await for Medevac." Ivan ordered.

"Copy, Colonel." The Marines Sergeant nodded, giving a salute before turning back towards the forest with his men.

"Shall we be off?" The masked tribesman asked.

XXXXX

 **February 18, 2683; 1859 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral**

 _"_ _SPARTAN, ODSTs are on standby in case this goes hot."_ Thorne's voice crackled over Ivan's communicator. He had taken care to secure the channel, and cut off his helmet's external speakers to ensure that his discussion with Thorne remained private. JNPR and CFVY had offered to stay behind with the Marines to keep them safe in the event that Grimm attacked the crash site. Deep down, Ivan knew that it was because this mission had a very personal importance to Yang, and they didn't think that it was their place to be there. Now, they were trekking through the dense forests, following behind the group of tribesmen that were leading them.

 _"_ _What do we know about them, Thorne?"_ Ivan asked, keeping an eye on his motion tracker.

 _"_ _They're a nomadic tribe that's been responsible for various attacks on caravans and small villages outside Mistral's walls."_ Thorne answered. _"They're the same bandits that attacked the village a few klicks out from Vorbeck, and vanished before we could get forces there. I've spoken with Raven, but I have no idea how her tribe operates when it comes to outsiders. Be on your guard."_

 _"_ _Copy, Thorne. C-124, out."_ Ivan answered, Thorne cutting the comms off a moment later. Ivan silently re-activated his helmet's vocal systems. Ivan looked around to the six that were still with him. Winter was still the picture of stoicism, walking alongside Ivan with her weapon in a low-ready. Cinder was silently prowling alongside Ivan, daring not to leave his sight. She seemed slightly tense, but that seemed to be her resting state lately. Ruby was walking along, occasionally glancing over to her sister. Weiss was walking alongside Ruby, occasionally whispering to her slightly taller partner. Blake was silently striding through the forest, one hand hovering over her weapon, and the other occasionally reaching out to comfort her girlfriend. Yang was a completely different story.

Ivan had been around Team RWBY long enough to know their… personal tells. Yang was very rarely ever tense, and almost constantly upbeat and energetic. Now, though… she was tense. Her cybernetic hand flexed and relaxed unconsciously, only staying relaxed when Blake reached out to grasp her metallic hand. Ivan could only see half of Yang's face, but he could tell that she was lost in thought, considering everything that had been thrown her way over the past few hours.

"We are here." The masked tribesman that had spoken with them earlier announced, leading them into a large clearing by a mountainside.

Everyone stepped into the clearing, looking around. The camp appeared small, but appearances were, in fact, deceiving. There was a small collection of a dozen tents resting in a half-circle around the entrance to a large cave, flickering lights within making the presence of more tribesmen known. There were dozens of unmasked tribesmen wearing similar attire to those that had led the group through the forest all milling about the area. Some were skinning animals to prepare them for cooking, some were training and sparring, and others were simply sitting around.

All eyes in the camp turned to look at the new arrivals and their escort party. They all seemed rather surprised to see five young women, armed with weapons that Huntsmen would carry, joined by a pair of UNSC SPARTANs. The tribesmen that escorted them through the forest removed their masks and placed them on their belts. They all looked just like Ivan expected: wild. Unkempt hair, scars, and perceptive eyes honed from a lifetime as nomadic hunters and raiders. "It is customary to remove your facial coverings in the camp." The leader of the escort group said, turning to face the SPARTANs and gaze at them with golden eyes.

Ivan and Winter both reached up and de-pressurized their helmets, pulling them off of their heads and tucking them into the crook of their arm. Their clean-cut, militaristic appearances contrasted heavily with the wild appearance of the tribe, and they stuck out even more than they did in the civilian world.

Ivan watched as a murmur ran over the spectating tribesmen.

"So they _are_ human…"

"They're so tall…"

"Do you see that shimmering around them…?"

Ivan simply passed it off as the same general reaction that most of the Remnant natives had when they first saw a SPARTAN in the armor.

Ivan watched a lone figure step out of the cave, and gracefully stride past the small collection of tents surrounding it. Ivan could have sworn that he was looking at an older, black-haired, red-eyed clone of Yang. The woman looked nearly identical to the blonde, and it seemed that Yang had noticed that too. Ivan heard Yang's breath hitch for the slightest moment. Yang knew it just as well as Ivan did… she was looking at her mother.

"Markus, is there a reason you've brought these-" Raven stopped dead in her tracks as she looked into those lavender eyes that she could never have forgotten. "By Oum…"

"Mom…?" Yang asked, taking a tentative step forward.

"Yang…" Raven muttered, taking her own step forward. "What are you doing here? And why is Cinder with you?"

"Cinder's with us now…" Yang lamented, glancing back to the woman in question for a moment. "We're here to find you."

Ivan watched the mother and daughter exchange happen with mixed feelings. On one hand, he was happy to see Yang with her mother. On the other hand… he had a personal disdain for Raven. She was a criminal, preying on the villages in the area. Stealing, killing, razing villages to the ground… Under normal circumstances, she'd likely be his enemy right now. He kept his expression decidedly neutral.

"Come with me… no sense in standing around." Raven offered, motioning for everyone to follow. "And there's no need for your weapons, you're safe here."

"We will be keeping our weapons." Ivan deadpanned, nodding to Winter before locking eyes with Raven.

"Is there a problem, SPARTAN?" She asked, looking to Ivan.

"None at all." Ivan answered, hiding his distrust behind a diplomatic tone. "I'd simply feel more… comfortable with my rifle on me."

"Is the star warrior afraid of us?" Markus asked with a sarcastic smirk.

"That's not an assumption you want to make, Markus." Raven cracked the faintest smile, nearly invisible. "I've seen what they're capable of. You can keep your weapons."

XXXXX

 **February 18, 2683; 1832 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Tribal Camp)**

"Why…?" Yang asked, her voice giving way for the slightest moment. Everyone had stood around the inside of a tent for the past few minutes in complete, uncomfortable silence.

"I-I'm afraid I can't answer that." Raven answered, earning a humorless scoff from Yang.

"No… Why did you leave us for _this_?" Yang asked, gesturing around. "And for Salem?"

"I-" Raven was cut off by her own daughter, whose irises faded into that menacing, fiery red.

"You were always there." Yang stated, simply. "You… You watch me for a few minutes then run off back here? More than that, you talked with _Thorne_ before you met your own daughter?!" Yang shouted. "What have you even been doing? Was it you? Did you burn Shion to the ground?!"

"We couldn't have known the Grimm would come as quickly as they did…" Raven attempted, only to be cut off again.

"Bullshit!" Yang shouted, taking a step forward as her hands trembled in anger. The faintest wisps of her Semblance began flaring up. "You raided a small village, leaving it defenseless before you cut and ran!" Yang spat her words out, almost like they left a bad taste in her mouth. "You knew all-too fucking well that the Grimm would come crashing down on them!" Yang's teeth were clenched down, face locked in a scowl.

"It's not that simple!" Raven shouted in return, catching Yang off-guard. "This tribe raised me, and Qrow! I couldn't abandon them! They were _dying_!"

"So that's what it is?" Yang asked, her rhetorical question laden with disgust. "Steal from and kill the weak, to survive? Are you even my mother?"

"Of course I'm your mother." Raven answered, the meaning of the question either lost on her, or more likely, she simply refused to acknowledge them actual meaning behind Yang's question.

"Are you sure?" Yang asked, sarcasm heavy in her voice. "You were barely there, then you run off to help the enemy, leaving Dad and I?"

"I was with Salem because Ozpin needed me to be!" Raven shouted. "After Cinder left, I took my chances and left!"

"So you ran from Salem, met with Thorne, then started terrorizing innocent people?" Yang asked, giving a humorless laugh. "Summer was a better mom than you'd ever be, and she wasn't even my actual mom. You were too busy hiding. You're my family by blood, but Ruby, Dad, Qrow, Blake, and Ivan are my _actual_ family. We came here to warn you, to try and save you… now I'm not even sure I want to."

Ivan could tell that Raven was hurt by Yang's words. She wasn't outwardly showing it on her face, but her stance slackened a bit, and she lost the angered look. Now it was simply neutral. "Do you really think you can stop Salem?" Raven asked. "Even with their help…" Raven nodded to the two SPARTANs. "You won't be able to stop her."

"Wouldn't be the first God the UNSC's killed." Ivan deadpanned, crossing his arms.

"I've been to Earth, Raven." Yang said, crossing her own arms. Raven's expression hardened again, seeing that Yang used her first name as opposed to calling her 'mom'. "If anyone _can_ stop her, it's them. You think the Great War here was bad? They lost _billions_ of people in just twenty years, and they're stronger for it. And I've completely lost my mother, and now I'll be stronger for it."

Ivan couldn't shake the feeling that he'd literally just watched Raven swallow her pride. Her voice cracked for the slightest moment, but he noticed it. He could feel that Yang noticed it too. "I'm sorry…" She managed. "I should have known better than to think you'd be fine with a normal life… you were always destined for this."

"What do you mean?" Yang asked, cybernetic unconsciously flexing.

"I… I thought that by leaving you'd go down a different path; lead a normal life, away from all of this." She gestured around. "I'm sorry… I should have at least had the decency to know my own daughter. And you'll always be my daughter, Yang… Now that you're here… I want to try and be your mother again."

Yang seemed to… soften a bit. Her hand stopped clenching and unclenching, and her eyes returned to their normal lilac color. "Prove it." Yang said, flatly.

"What do you mean?" Raven asked.

"Help me…" Yang answered. "Better yet, help us." She nodded back to her friends… and Cinder. "We need to at least slow Salem down… we need to know where the Spring Maiden is."

"It's not the Maidens you should be finding… you need to find the Relics." Raven admitted.

"Excuse me?" Yang asked, confused. "Relics?"

"There's… a lot of superstition on Remnant. Most of it's just that, but some of it… well, some of it's real." Raven answered. "The two Brothers?"

Ivan had spent enough time brushing up on Remnant's history and philosophies during his time at Beacon to know the fable that Raven was referencing. Suddenly, all of the pieces started falling into place. "Seems like Salem isn't the only Precursor that took an interest in Remnant…" He noted. "Where are these relics?"

"You've been closer to one than you think." Raven answered. "Ozpin's cane. That's what Salem is after, not just the Maidens."

"Son of a bitch..." Ivan muttered. "He painted a target on Beacon's back from day one. Do you have any leads on the others?"

"If Cinder's right, and Watts has Haven's headmaster on his side… then one's very nearly in Salem's hands." Raven answered. "As for the others… there are four Huntsmen academies, aren't there?"

Ivan nodded grimly. He looked to Winter, who shared his solemn look. "Winter, inform Thorne. Recommend ONISEC deployment to Atlas and Shade."

Winter nodded, throwing on her helmet and stepping outside, connecting with Thorne over the Battlenet as she moved.

"What about Haven?" Yang asked, asking the question that everyone had in mind.

"We'll be handling that." Ivan answered. "Thank you." He nodded to Raven

"Where will you be going now?" Raven asked.

"Back to Vorbeck Airfield." Ivan answered. "There's matters I need to see to on-base."

"I'll come with you…" Raven stated. "I'd like to… speak with Thorne again."

Ivan nodded, reaching up to his ear and pressing the button on the side of his Commlink. "Captain, this is SPARTAN C-124, requesting Pelican transport at my location."

XXXXX

 **February 18, 2683; 1941 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral**

"Absolutely not." Thorne shook his head, his holographic image mirroring his actions. "You all have been going non-stop since Menagerie."

"We can handle it, Thorne." Ruby defended, causing the Director to turn and face her.

"I know you _can_ handle it, but there are… other things to consider beyond simply arresting Lionheart." Thorne responded. "This needs to be done quietly. Remnant's already unstable after Vale, and storming Haven with ONISEC and SPARTANs is only going to build more resentment. You all need to rest. I'll handle this one… quietly." Thorne paused. "After all… making people disappear is what we do."

"Understood, Director." Ivan answered, hoping to prevent someone else from prolonging this any more than it needed to be.

"Good." Thorne gave an approving nod. "And Raven… I'll be groundside in six hours, we can talk then." With that, Thorne cut the comms from his end, leaving the rear of the Pelican missing the pale blue light of the projector.

"So what, we just sit around now?" Yang asked, obviously taken aback by Thorne directly ordering them to stay out of this for now.

"From the looks of it, yes." Ivan answered, collecting the small projector from the floor of the Pelican and slotting it back into his armor's carrier rig. "There's still work for us to do, though. We need to find Taurus."

Cinder remained steadfast as every set of eyes in the Pelican turned to her. "Taurus' group is nomadic, they don't stay in one location for long. The last time I met with him personally was on a rooftop in Vale, just after Torchwick's attempted train bombing. Before that, it was Forever Fall."

"I'll get in touch with Sun and Neptune, see what they've dug up in Vacuo." Ivan added. "If that doesn't pan out, we'll have the interrogation transcripts from ONISEC's meeting with the two Fox Faunus in Menagerie soon."

Everyone felt the heavy clank of the Pelican setting down on tarmac, and the pneumatic hissing of the rear door opening flooded the crew compartment. As everyone stood, they were greeted by the sight of Vorbeck Airfield, still undergoing repairs from the still-fresh attack just a few days prior. Trees surrounding the northern end of the airfield were still flattened from the low-yield MAC strike, scorch marks still covered the ground, and the occasional foxhole was still present on the perimeter, but much of the major damage was repaired. In the distance, the Engineer Corps was still working to repair the defensive gun batteries on the eastern end of the base.

"Colonel!" The Marine Engineer awaiting him on the landing pad saluted, his heels clicking together. "Engineers finished with your residence earlier today, and they've made adjustments to make it more… accommodating for your team."

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Ivan returned the salute, allowing the Marine to stand back at ease. "Reports on the defense systems I recommended?"

"Shipments arrived from Reach yesterday, sir." The Lieutenant answered. "We've linked them to the Battlenet, and they're ready for deployment."

"Excellent, you can return to your post, Lieutenant."

With another salute, the Marine turned on a heel and headed down the landing pad's ramp and began walking off towards a group of Engineers that were working on laying down tarmac over a damaged portion of Runway 3.

"What new defense system did you request?" Winter asked, falling into step beside Ivan as they all began walking towards the housing area.

"Sinoviet's new drones." Ivan answered. "Similar to Atlesian Knights, but they're more… fit for combat on a modern battlefield."

"The UNSC's using drone soldiers now?" Blake asked.

"We're field-testing them now. I doubt we'll be replacing the Army or Marines with them, but they're useful for peacekeeping." Ivan answered.

As they approached the rather large officer's prefab that they had called home for the past few months, Ivan typed away at his datapad. After he cleared up a few details with the Base Commander, he craned his neck over to Raven. "Raven, the Base Commander's given you a temporary residence in the Officer's Quarters." Ivan pulled a small chip from his datapad, holding it out to Raven has he walked. "You'll have limited access to the Base's facilities for your stay here. If you head over to the Command Building, the Captain can get you situated." He thumbed a gesture over to the large, metal building sitting off to the right of the nearby hangars that housed Broadsword fighters.

"Thank you." Raven nodded, her voice strangely sincere. She separated from the group, heading off towards the Command Building.


	36. Chapter 36: Semper Vigilans

**Chapter 36: Semper Vigilans**

 **NOTE: Much of the story prior to this chapter has either been tweaked or completely re-written. I'd advise going back and re-reading the fic so things in the future make more sense.**

 **February 19, 2683; 0800 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Ivan slowly drifted awake, the thin rays of sunlight piercing through the shutters on his bedroom window. He felt a familiar presence clinging onto him. He looked over, finding Winter's face to be obscured by her loose ivory hair. A single icy blue eye met his own, and he couldn't help but smile. "Morning, beautiful." He leaned over to press a kiss to the top of her head.

"Good morning." Winter affirmed, pulling her head up from its resting place beside his shoulder. "They wake you up, too?"

Ivan chuckled as some rather… colorful banter sounded off from downstairs. "I don't even know why I set my alarm anymore." He quickly disabled the alarm on his datapad, placing it back down on the nightstand when he finished. "What're they doing?"

"No idea." Winter admitted. "Let's find out." She playfully nudged Ivan, pulling the covers off.

His eyes drifted to her bare form as she stood upright, stretching. "Might want to get dressed first." Ivan gave a devilish smirk. He couldn't help but laugh when Winter tossed his discarded t-shirt at him.

XXXXX

 **February 19, 2683; 0812 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

" _Bullshit_!" Coco declared. "There's no way!"

"I'm serious!" Yang defended. "Blake can back me up on this!"

"Don't drag me into this." Blake piped up from beside the blonde, still staring down into the pages of her book.

"There's no way, at all, that-" Coco was stopped by Ruby.

"Can we _not_ talk about this?" Ruby asked.

"But-" Yang attempted.

"Drop it, Xiao Long." Weiss glared daggers at Yang.

"What's the big deal, Weiss?" Yang asked. "It was just you covering for you being-"

"Stop it!" Weiss demanded, staring Yang down.

"Ivan!" Ruby shouted, seeing the SPARTAN and Winter walk out of their room upstairs. "You're up!" She was desperately hoping to change the subject.

"I am…" Ivan nodded, looking around to find everyone gathered in the living room, sitting on the couch, at the table, or some chairs they had pulled in from the kitchen.

"Up later than usual, Colonel." Yang smirked, looking over to him and Winter.

"We didn't get to sleep until later last night." Winter answered with a nonchalant shrug.

"Any particular reason?" Yang asked, suppressing a giggle. She ignored Weiss' death-glare.

"Doing _important_ things." Winter answered.

Not being one to pass up an opportunity, Ivan took it. "Hey everyone, I'm Important Things." He was proud of himself for the slightest moment before Winter wheeled around, the slightest twinge of red dotting her cheeks as she slapped his arm. Everyone in the living room, sans Weiss, broke out into a laugh.

"I'm gonna kill you, Ivan." Weiss deadpanned.

"Not if I beat you to it." Winter sighed, a smirk giving away her joking nature.

Ivan somehow managed to control his laughs long enough to ask the question he had pulled himself out of bed for. "So… what the hell are you all yelling about down here?"

"Oh yeah!" Yang declared, smiling. "Ivan, back me up on this!"

"Yang Xiao Long, I swear!" Weiss clenched her fists.

"Weiss _totally_ had a thing for Neptune at first, right?" Yang asked, keeping an eye on Weiss, just in case she decided to throw something at her. "And it was totally a cover for her being-"

"Yang!" Ruby shouted, causing the blonde to fall into a fit of giggles.

"Seriously?" Ivan asked, eyebrow raised. " _That's_ what you were shouting about?"

"I just want Weiss to admit it!" Yang defended.

"I don't have to admit anything!" Weiss answered.

"Jesus…" Ivan muttered, walking towards the kitchen for a glass of water.

"Are we doing anything about Haven?" Ruby asked as the SPARTAN walked past her.

"Sadly, no." Ivan sighed. "Thorne was serious about us staying on-base. Honestly, it'll probably be good for us. We've been going non-stop since the attack last week." After searching through the rather abhorrent amount of food in the fridge, he eventually found an unopened water bottle and claimed it as his own. "Speaking of which, where the hell's Cinder?"

"Probably still sleeping." Yang shrugged. "Do you seriously trust her not to turn on us first chance she gets?"

"It's either keep true to her word, or she's dead." Ivan shrugged. "If she lies to us, she won't live long enough to regret it."

"She's the Fall Maiden, Ivan!" Yang continued. "How do we even know that thing Thorne put in her head will work?!"

"Woogley-boogley mystical bullshit or not, fifty grams of C-12 between your vertebrae will kill anything." Ivan shrugged.

"I'm still not comfortable with her being here…" Yang relented, sighing.

"How do you think Ivan feels?" Weiss asked, looking to the blonde.

"Christ, enough about that please." Ivan sighed, walking towards the smaller sofa in the living room and claiming a seat. Winter sat down beside him. "I've already got two permanent reminders of that."

"What should we do?" Coco asked. "Just sit around?"

"Once we get ONISEC's report on the interrogation, we should have what we need." Ivan shrugged. "I'm fine with some time off while we can get it."

"Wanna go work on the arm some more?" Yang asked, giving Ivan a smile.

"I'm in." Ivan shrugged. "Let me go grab my kit."

XXXXX

 **February 19, 2683; 0847 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Cinder tossed and turned on the rather stiff cot that Ivan had set aside for her. She had been given what used to be a small office space to call her own for the time being. She certainly couldn't complain. It was isolated, quiet, and somewhat comfortable. What she certainly _could_ complain about was sharing a building with so many people.

She had been listening to the conversation downstairs. It was faint, but she could certainly hear Yang and Ivan talking about her, and just how easily the SPARTAN could end her life. All it would take is the simple, mindless flick of a switch and she'd cease existing. As much as she hated to admit it, that desire for power… to be feared… she could _never_ match what the off-worlders were capable of. One of their soldiers _literally_ held her life in the palm of his hand at any given moment. All she could do was hope that he had the restraint to keep his hand off that switch.

As she heard a door close, and the conversation downstairs return to its normal hum, she let out a sigh. No sense it sitting around all day, the least she could do is get up. She let out a heavy sigh as she climbed out of her makeshift sleeping arrangements, gathering up her dress and heels from the small box she had found to keep them in.

Making her way out of the small, second-story office space, the sounds of conversation suddenly became clearer. Above all else, she could make out a news report from the TV. She momentarily paused to listen.

 _"_ _In other news, the UEG Supreme Court Case of Schnee v. Unified Earth Government has officially concluded proceedings. Jacques Schnee, former CEO of the Schnee Dust Company, has been found guilty on the charges of 'actively and knowingly retaining intelligence vital to the operations of the United Nations Space Command, child abuse, war profiteering, monopolizing, and knowingly and willingly operating a corporation in direct breach of Article 3 of the UEG Constitution; specifically regarding Human Rights.'_

 _Schnee has been sentenced to twenty five years in a UEG Federal Penitentiary, a fine of one hundred-fifty million UEG Credits, as well as reparations to Faunus workers in the SDC Dust Quarries for their inhumane treatment, which was brought to light by a Military Police investigation into the operations of the Schnee Dust Company. Mister Schnee has also been stripped of his majority shareholder status in the company, with the shares being transferred to his youngest daughter Weiss, at the request of the prosecution headed by ONI Director Gavin Thorne._

 _According to the prosecution, the SDC shall remain state-controlled subsidiary of Misriah Armories until the unstable political climate on Remnant has been remedied."_

Cinder couldn't help but watch in amazement. Despite her previous allegiance, she could _never_ have hoped to shake up this world in the same way that the UNSC had. With little effort, they shattered the SDC's hold on Remnant, undid the damage to Vale, made the CCT system obsolete, and effectively neutered the White Fang at every turn. She suddenly felt _very_ small in comparison.

Pulling her gaze away from the television downstairs, she stepped into the bathroom, took a bit longer to figure out the shower than she'd be happy admitting, and stripped out of her sleepwear. After waiting a few moments for the water to heat up, she stepped beneath the falling droplets of water and let them wash over her. This was one thing that Salem's fortress certainly lacked: comfort.

As she went through the motions, her mind began wandering. She had spent much of her sleepless night on the UNSC's equivalent to Remnant's global network: Waypoint. Ivan had given her a Datapad, which she knew damn well was monitored, but she frankly couldn't care less. She had looked into more and more of the UNSC's history all night, and she very quickly came to the realization that she was _far_ out of her league, even if she had remained with Salem's outfit.

In the past one hundred and fifty years alone, the UNSC had brought down a genocidal alien Covenant intent on wiping Humanity out of existence, defeated something called a "Didact" over Earth, stopped an artificial intelligence uprising, put down remnant after remnant of the Covenant, and now encompassed almost all of the Orion Arm of the Galaxy. Salem couldn't even keep hold over a single world… how in Oum's name could she possibly hope to bring the UNSC down? After last night, Cinder suddenly felt a lot surer of her decision to leave.

Satisfied that she had spent enough time under the water, she tapped the display on the wall and the shower shut off. She quickly dried herself with one of the towels on a nearby rack, grabbed her dress and heels, and dressed herself. She had a solution… with any luck.

XXXXX

 **February 19, 2683; 1012 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

"Here's your problem…" Ivan muttered, prying back the plate on the forearm of Yang's prosthetic. "Your arm locked up yesterday because one of the CNT muscle fiber connectors got knocked loose."

"That happen often?" Yang asked, looking down to the displaced bundle of carbon nanotubes.

"Not really." Ivan shrugged. "Then again, most people with robotic prosthetics don't go around punching giant monsters through walls."

Yang laughed. "Fair enough."

Over the buzz of the music Yang had started playing when they started, Ivan heard the door slide open, followed by the distinctive click of heels against the concrete floor. They weren't the practiced, smooth steps of Weiss, they were tentative and slow. "Can I help you, Cinder?" Ivan asked, not taking his eyes off of the prosthetic.

Yang glanced over her shoulder. "Damn… you're good." She chuckled, helping Ivan lock the covering back into place.

Ivan turned around after finishing with the prosthetic, seeing Cinder eyeing the varying tools, parts, and in-progress weapons sitting around the garage. She seemed to be focusing on the stripped-down ARC-920 railgun sitting on a stand, surrounded by tools and its polymer casing. Some of its coils and electromagnetic rails were exposed, with one of its tungsten slugs sitting next to it. Ivan could tell rather clearly that she was doing everything in her power to keep her gaze away from him and Yang, without giving away the fact that she was feeling… something. "I just…" Cinder began, searching for the right words. "I wanted to ask how you're doing, Yang… with your mother, I mean."

"I'm fine." Yang locked the prosthetic back into place on her shoulder. "You actually care?"

"I'm not your enemy, you know." Cinder sighed.

"You _were_." Yang retorted.

"Guys…" Ivan let out a heavy sigh. "We don't need to be at each other's throats. Cinder gave us good information, she's earned a _bit_ of my trust back. And on top of that, she helped you find your mother."

Yang seemed thoughtful for a moment. Ivan couldn't tell, but she certainly looked conflicted. "You're right… and thank you." Yang said in a surprising moment of sincerity. "I'll… stop being so hard on you."

"Thank you… that's all I ask." Cinder gave the _slightest_ hint of a smile. "I've still got my work cut out for me with the others."

"That you do." Ivan nodded, standing up and collecting all of his cybernetic tools. He shot a glance over to his Datapad as it softly bleeped, signaling him that a message had come his way. He swiped a hand over the tablet, reading over the message.

 _Colonel,_

 _There's a civilian at the outer gate requesting to see you. He insists that he knows you, and refuses to leave until he can speak with you. Appears no older than seventeen. Report to the outer perimeter gate ASAP._

 _-Cmdr. Leah Wilson_

Ivan sighed, closing his Datapad's interface and standing upright again. "I'll be right back, Commander wants me at the gate."

XXXXX

 **February 19, 2683; 1045 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Ivan disembarked the Warthog that had ferried him across the airbase, stopping at the main entry gate to the facility. Two Marines were standing on either end of the large metallic gate door, which had opened up to allow the Colonel through. As he stepped through the gate, he found himself looking at a rather strange sight.

A pair of ODSTs assigned to the outer wall's patrol were standing in front of a teenage boy clad in what appeared to be farmhand's clothes. His brown eyes looked to the two ODSTs with a slight concern, then darted over to him. It was quite clear that this boy did _not_ know who he was at all, given the look of surprise. It was quite likely that this kid hadn't ever seen a SPARTAN before, and was equally likely that he was stunned to see a man in civilian clothes towering over the ODSTs.

As he approached, the two ODSTs performed an about-face and gave him a crisp salute. "Colonel!" The Sergeant on the right declared.

"At ease, Sergeant." Ivan waved the salute off. "I'll handle this. Return to your duties."

"Aye, sir." The Sergeant nodded, leading his subordinate trooper off on their patrol again.

Ivan turned his attention to the teenager that had wandered up to the UNSC's base, an eyebrow cocked in a questioning manner. "What brings a kid like yourself to a UNSC facility?" Ivan asked. "Better yet, you informed the ODSTs that you know me. How's that?"

"U-Um…" The boy began. "S-someone we both know asked me to come find you. I'm supposed to… ask how your mission's gone since Beacon, and ask for my cane back?"

Ivan's eyes went wide at this. There was no way. "How do you know about the cane?"

"He's erm… in my head." The boy explained. "He told me you probably wouldn't believe me, and said to ask you how you time on Earth was, and if your evaluation went well?"

"Holy shit…" Ivan muttered. "Ozpin?" At his words, the young man nodded. "ONI's going to want to talk with you…"

XXXXX

 **February 19, 2683; 1103 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

"It's not an alternate dimension…" Thorne began, the pieces finally starting to fall together. He had been talking with Raven for the better part of two hours now. "It's a Slipspace bubble…"

"Like your interstellar travel?" Raven asked, confused.

"Exactly." Thorne nodded. "And that means, if it's a Slipspace bubble, then there's an anchor point for it in real space. If we can find it… we can reach it."

"Where is it?" Raven asked.

"Likely, somewhere on Remnant." Thorne added, suddenly remembering something. "That complicates things."

"How so?" Raven asked, still largely in the dark about much of the UNSC's technology. All she knew was that it was light years beyond anything Remnant could ever achieve with Dust alone.

"Dust plays havoc with our subspace sensor equipment." Thorne explained, letting out a heavy sigh. "That rules out a planetary scan from orbit. SATCOM won't be of use, either. Slipspace anchors can be as small as a centimeter."

"Your best option would be to pry it out of one of Salem's agents." Raven offered.

"Agreed…" Thorne nodded. Before he could continue on his train of thought, he heard the door slide open, and found Ivan to be standing on the other side joined by a… teenage boy? "SPARTAN…" Thorne began, looking to Ivan.

"Apologies for interrupting, sir." Ivan offered. "But you're going to want to see this." At Thorne's questioning brow-raise, he continued. "I believe that this boy, Oscar, carries a personality imprint of Ozpin."

Thorne nodded. Truth be told, this was far from the strangest thing he had seen this world drop into his lap, but he still had a hard time believing it. "Do you have proof, SPARTAN?"

Oscar saw Ivan nod in his direction. With a deep breath, he began. "Agent Thorne… I wanted to thank you for everything you did for my students at Beacon. And for all of Remnant, keeping the Maidens a secure matter."

Ivan saw something that he never thought he would… a look of surprise on the Director's face. "Well…" Thorne began, clearing his throat. "I think that's it, officially the strangest thing this world has ever thrown at me." Ivan saw Thorne direct his attention to him. "SPARTAN, thank you for bringing this to my attention. I can handle it from here."

XXXXX

 **February 19, 2683; 1321 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck Simulator)**

"I still can't believe it…" Ivan remarked, firing a burst from his Battle Rifle, striking the hard-light rendition of a Grunt in the head, sending it to the ground.

"You think I can?" Winter asked, a smirk almost audible through the short-range communications. She was firing an EMP grenade at an incoming Banshee, knocking it out of the air long enough for one of the groundside Marines to put a sniper round through the canopy, killing the Elite pilot inside. "Are you going to tell the others?"

"Not until-" Ivan grunted, bringing his combat knife down into a Jackal's skull, wrenching it outward and twisting the creature's head around, snapping its neck. "Not until Thorne can confirm it. I don't want to get their hopes up."

"Fair enough." Winter admitted, a grenade from her underslung launcher smacking an Elite across the face before detonating, tossing its limp corpse back a few meters. "Why'd you take me to the Simulator to talk about this?" Winter asked, ducking back into cover as she slid a new grenade into her launcher.

"Needed something to focus on." Ivan admitted, lining up his reticle on a distant Grunt's head, slotting a trio of rounds through the Fuel Rod-toting Unggoy's head before dropping his magazine and sliding a new one into place. "Keep my head on straight."

"You, not being level-headed?" Winter asked, sarcasm heavy in her words. "Tell me more!" She popped out of cover, dumping a few rounds downrange at a distant Sangheili Ranger. Only six more targets to go until their simulation was over, and the next group waiting for the Simulator was up.

"You wound me so, Winter." Ivan chuckled, dropping another pair of Grunts.

It had only taken a few more moments for the pair of SPARTANs to dispatch the four remaining enemies. Two Elites and a pair of Jackal snipers. Once the final Elite had fallen, the holographic rendition of New Mombasa faded away, revealing the internals of a simulation deck, leaving only a pair of armored SPARTANs standing in the large room.

After leaving the simulator, passing a squad of ODSTs making their way towards the simulator, the two stowed their weapons away and removed their helmets once they returned to the outside world. Thankfully, it was quite the distance to cover on foot as they made their way back to their home. Ivan took the chance to enjoy the fact that Mistral was now entering spring, and the weather was, for once, bearable. "I take it we're still on mandated leave?" Winter asked, breaking the momentary silence.

"Yep…" Ivan affirmed with a heavy sigh. "Even with this, Thorne wants us to rest. Let the other Fireteams handle this for a while."

"It'll be good for us, like you said." Winter smirked, looking over to him. "Give everyone a chance to slow down for a bit." After a short lapse in conversation following Ivan's nod. "Anything you have planned?"

"Well…" Ivan thought for a moment, slowly falling into a devious smile. "Since I'll have Thorne crawling up my ass if I leave this base for anything other than shore leave…."

"Yes…?" Winter asked, looking over.

"Since we haven't had the chance to after our trip to Earth… I'm gonna date the shit out of you, Winter Schnee." That earned a laugh from Winter.

XXXXX

 **February 19, 2683; 1641 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Haven Academy)**

Thorne stepped out of Haven Academy's elevator, adjusting the cuff of his suit jacket as he entered the hallway leading to the Headmaster's office. He couldn't help but smirk, knowing that he had the element of surprise. Even with that bomb Ivan had dropped on him earlier in the day, he still had a schedule to keep, and it was missions like this that made him feel _alive_.

He put that familiar façade on his face, that forced smile that he had perfected over his years of service to the Office of Naval Intelligence, as he turned the doorknob of the Headmaster's office door, and stepped inside. He _really_ needed to thank the SPARTAN for helping him bug the Headmaster's office all those months ago.

He made the conscious effort to leave the door open as he stepped inside, spotting the familiar Professor Lionheart sitting behind his desk, joined by another man that Thorne recognized immediately. Doctor Arthur Watts. Both men turned to face him as he entered, but it was the headmaster that spoke up. "Agent Thorne…" He began, the slightest twinge of fear in his eyes. _That_ was another thing that Thorne loved about this job. The look of sheer terror on his mark's face when they knew, deep down, that they were well and truly fucked. "To what do I owe the… pleasure of having the Office of Naval Intelligence in my office?"

"Think of it as a… courtesy call, Headmaster." Thorne smirked, sounding almost _too_ happy. As he approached, he looked to Watts. "I don't believe we've met…"

"Arthur." Watts responded, looking to the ONI agent with an indifferent expression. Either Watts had no idea Thorne was here for him, or he was _far_ better at hiding his emotions than the Headmaster.

"A pleasure." Thorne gave a pleasant nod. With that same smile on his face, he turned back to Lionheart. "You know, Professor, it's strange…" He began, resting his weight on one leg. "The reports from your students seem to have stopped. Call me curious for wondering why."

"They haven't found anything of note, I assume." Lionheart shrugged.

"Probably." Thorne returned the shrug. "Or… there's a far more sinister issue I have to deal with." Thorne's smile was wiped from his face in an instant, replaced by hardened professionalism. " _You_."

Lionheart and Watts both practically jumped as a full Fireteam of SPARTAN-IVs materialized behind the ONI Director, weapons trained on them. Watts found himself staring down a SPARTAN wearing an EVA helmet with a silver visor, the barrel of the SPARTAN's trophy Brute Shot pointed at his head. Lionheart found himself staring down the barrel of an M45 shotgun, wielded by a SPARTAN in full HELLCAT armor. "You are under arrest for collusion with the enemy, Professor." In a blinding display of agility, Thorne wrapped his hand around the back of Watt's neck, a small metal disc embedding itself into Watts' skin and unfolding, forming a metallic harness around the base of his skull. Before Watts could even respond to the move, he felt his Aura completely drained, and the barrel of Thorne's magnum pressed against his temple. "And you…" Thorne locked eyes with Watts. "You're going to tell me _everything_."

 **A/N:**

 **Alright, a bit of an explanation about why the "new" chapter is just a lightly re-written old one. I made the decision to re-write this story to give a better sense of the continuity as well as to remedy some canon errors (Like the UNSC using the MA5B in the 2600s). A vast majority of the major re-writing was done in the first half of the fic, although there are quite a few changes done to more recent chapters as well.**

 **I should have a new chapter up for this relatively soon, but reading over and re-writing almost 200,000 words has burned me out on this one.**

 **Let me know what you all think of the re-write.**

 **-TallYapflip**


	37. Chapter 37: The Key

**Chapter 37: The Key**

 **February 20, 2683; 1241 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Haven Academy)**

"Director Thorne." Thorne's attention turned to SPARTAN Lieutenant Robertson, having to crane his neck slightly to look into the reflective faceplate of the EVA-pattern helmet that looked down to him.

"Yes, SPARTAN?" Thorne asked, looking away from his Datapad for the first time in quite a while.

"Remnant-1 confirms the arrival of both prisoners." Robertson explained. "Lionheart has agreed to your terms in exchange for information."

Thorne chuckled, sliding his Datapad back into his coat. "Just as spineless as Ozpin said. What do you have for me?"

"There's an… entity concealed in a room connected to this office." Robertson explained, nodding towards a bookshelf tucked away in the corner of the room. "There's a hallway concealed behind that bookcase."

"Hmm… ominous." Thorne hummed, looking over his shoulder to the SPARTANs that were providing security for the ONI Recovery Team that had commandeered Lionheart's office. "Delta, on me!" He barked out. "Agents Lockhart, Smith, and Anastasia, you're on security."

"Aye, sir!" Agent Lockhart, the highest-ranking ONI Agent beneath Thorne nodded, reaching into his coat and producing an M7S SMG, sliding back the retractable stock and moving to relieve the SPARTAN IVs standing vigil by the door.

Thorne nodded for the four SPARTANs of Fireteam Delta to follow behind him as he approached the corner of the office, looking to the wall-spanning bookcase. He noticed a rather… peculiar seam near the center of the wall. To normal eyes, it would have been almost invisible. To his augmented eyesight, it stuck out like a sore thumb now that he knew where to look. He nodded for Robertson to take over.

Thorne stepped back and watched as the behemoth of a SPARTAN stepped up, planting an armored fist through the thin wooden backing of the bookcase right on the seam, punching a neat hole through. Almost effortlessly, Robertson wrenched the concealed doorway open, the wooden portal grinding against the floor. "Much appreciated." Thorne nodded to Robertson as he stepped past him, pulling his M6SOCOM from its concealed holster as he entered the hallway, which was illuminated solely by candlelight.

Rounding the corner, Thorne came face to… face with a strange creature. It looked almost like a crystalline ball, resting atop a collection of spade-like pointed tentacles. It floated ominously in the center of a cylindrical room, the pointed tips of its many appendages lazily resting on the floor. Color him surprised when the translucent surface of the creature's "head" began to shift from within, a ghostly-white face appearing, adorned with thin tendrils of black creeping along its cheeks. It took on a distinctly humanoid appearance, and Thorne couldn't help but crack a smile as he saw just a momentary flicker of surprise on Salem's face. "For a supposedly omnipotent creature, you're certainly lacking in the information department." He began, his words preceded by the four SPARTANs raising their weapons as the creature began to stir.

"Director Gavin Thorne…" Salem spoke. Thorne couldn't quite place it, but her voice was… eerily familiar. "What a surprise." She let out a hollow, spine-chilling chuckle. "Oh, how far our wayward creations have come. I suppose this is the part where you expect me to divulge some information?"

"No… your underlings have already provided more than enough of that." Thorne responded, keeping one eye on the creature's tendrils. "I'll admit, I'm interested in your motivations however."

"Your kind imprisoned me here eons ago, Human." Salem let out a half-growl. "It's only fitting that the return of my kind begin with you facing the same fate. We created you, and we can snuff you out."

"Well, you've done quite a miserable job at that." Thorne chuckled.

"Your end is coming, Director." Salem's voice returned to that eerie calm. "You have seen to it."

Thorne's augmented reflexes kicked in as one of the tendrils lurched for his throat. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as he lunged back, the pointed tendril narrowly missing him. The very instant he moved back, his magnum barked out a single round which embedded itself in the creature's fleshy center. The hollow-point projectile shredded its innards, killing it instantly if the black smoke emanating from its surface was any indicator. As he saw it, if there were ever a time to test out REAP-X's latest project, it would be now.

He reached into his coat, producing a small disc-like object and tossed it onto the creature. Instantly, the metallic disc dug itself into the Grimm's fleshy center, releasing the contents of the numerous small hypodermic needles contained within. He smirked as the creature ceased decomposing, simply remaining there in a heap. He smiled, half-expecting his little field test to fail. "Delta Team, prepare the creature for transport to Remnant-1. I think we just found our key."

 **February 23, 2683; 0641 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Weiss smiled as she carried a small tray filled with coffee mugs, sugar, and cream. She passed a mug to Blake, Yang, and finally Ruby. "Don't worry, Ruby." She smirked. "I put an obscene amount of cream and sugar in yours."

"Aww, thanks, Weiss!" Ruby returned the smile, happily cradling the steaming cup of coffee in her hands.

"And I put tea in yours, Blake." Weiss looked to Blake with a small smirk on her face. "I know you."

"Thank you, Weiss." Blake hummed, happily sipping away at the tea, finding Yang's arm wrapped around her shoulders.

As Weiss plopped down between Ruby and Blake, she actively worked to suppress a blush that creeped onto her cheeks as Ruby's fingers stealthily laced with her own. Every touch from Ruby still carried that strange electric feeling with it. Fumbling for a moment, Weiss eventually managed to activate the television screen on the wall, flipping it over to the proper network. She had flipped it over at just the right time, with a show that she had started watching recently just starting. Just like always, it opened up with a sort of monologue from one of the show's three hilariously British hosts… right after he camera captured a wing of F-41 Broadswords flying overhead.

 _"_ _Do you sense that electricity in the air? Do you smell those ionized particles? Can you feel your bowels loosening with the deep thrum of hundreds of thrusters firing at once? That, my friends, can only mean one thing: Galactic Tour is once again at the Intergalactic Aerospace Expo. This is the premier air and space show in the UEG. The IAE has the biggest manufacturers, the best modders, and the best pilots all gathered in one spot for enthusiasts like us to gawk at. I mean, if I had a Cred for every time I've said 'Whoa, ya' see that?!' I'd be… slightly more wealthy than I already am."_

"Man, Weiss… you're really into spaceships, huh?" Yang piped up.

"Blame Ivan." Ruby sighed. "He suggested this show to her, and now she's up every Sunday morning to watch it."

"I'm sorry that I'm looking to the future here." Weiss shrugged. "Schnee Dust might be expanding into the civilian starship market soon, who knows." She smirked.

"Well, you'd better hook it up when you start." Yang smiled, leaning back into the cushions of the couch. "I've got a galaxy to explore once we're done with Salem."

"Yo, is that Galactic Tour I hear down there?" Coco called out from the second floor balcony, still wearing the shorts and t-shirt she slept in.

"IAE Special!" Weiss called back.

Wordlessly, Coco slid down the handrail of the staircase and plopped herself down on the floor in front of the couch.

As the small group was about halfway through this episode of Galactic Tour, they all heard the front door click open, seeing Ivan and Winter step inside along with a third figure that none of them recognized. He was a teenage boy, likely around Ruby's age, with a short head of brown hair and light green eyes. He had a certain… awkwardness about him. "Alright, you're all sitting down, thank god." Ivan began, looking to the collection of Huntresses sitting in front of the television. "Big news."

"Okay…?" Ruby began, looking to Ivan, Winter, and the young man in turn.

"Everyone!" Ivan called out. "Get down here!"

Within a few minutes, the rest of Team CFVY, and all of Team JNPR made their way out of their respective rooms, looking down to Ivan and Winter in confusion from the second floor. Cinder made her way out of her makeshift bedroom a few moments after Jaune poked his head over the railing, eyebrow raised as he saw the young boy with Ivan and Winter.

As they all made their way downstairs, they filled up the living room almost completely. Weiss was only a bit irritated that Ivan had chosen _now_ to call for a team meeting. "Alright…" Ivan began, taking a deep breath as he glanced down to the young man beside him. "Y'all know how I have a personality imprint of a Forerunner, right?" Everyone, with the exception of Cinder, nodded. Cinder, if anything, looked confused.

"Oscar here…" He gestured over to the short teenager, who everyone now knew as Oscar. "He has the same thing, only it's not a Forerunner. It's someone we're all _very_ familiar with."

"Well… spit it out." Weiss said, growing a bit irritable over missing a fair bit of the piece on Sinoviet's newest performance model.

"Do your thing, Oscar." Ivan beckoned down to him.

Everyone looked to each other in confusion, seeing Oscar close his eyes for a moment. They saw a green aura surround him, and when he opened his eyes, they seemed to glow a bit. "A pleasure to see you all again." Everyone's jaw collectively dropped to the floor. It was Ozpin. "Even you, Miss Fall. The Colonel tells me you've had a change of heart?" Cinder felt her heart drop into her gut.

 **February 27, 2683; 0151 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

"Colonel, report to Haven Academy immediately." Thorne's voice rang out in Ivan's ear, the pinging of his communicator startling him awake. "Further intelligence has been found, I want everyone present."

"Understood, Director." Ivan nodded, pulling himself upright as Winter did the same next to him. "We'll be there in ten."

"Copy, Thorne out." Thorne cut the comms, leaving Ivan and Winter to fully awaken and don their Tech Suits. After taking a minute to outfit themselves in their Tech Suits, Ivan and Winter exited their shared bedroom.

Ivan shouted out through the silent house, the command presence he had picked up from military service startling everyone awake. "Everyone, grab your gear and prepare to move!" He shouted, adjusting the neckline of the Tech Suit. "We're needed at Haven, Priority-1 from Thorne!"

He heard the groggy calls of affirmation sound off from each of the rooms in the house. Apparently, some members of Team CFVY had fallen asleep in the kitchen, likely from Coco's rather adept drink-mixing skills. As Ivan descended the steps, he was nearly knocked off of his feet by a blur of crimson and falling rose petals that was making a beeline for the Armory. "Good Lord, Ruby!" Weiss called out after her partner, hobbling out of her doorway one foot, trying to get her heel on.

Ivan hurried down into the Armory, stepping into the robotic apparatus and letting it assemble his MJOLNIR over his body. As the six robotic arms finished with him, he stepped out of the apparatus and grabbed his helmet from atop a crate, throwing it over his head and allowing Winter to don her armor. With a quick connection to the comms network, he established a connection to Raven's assigned quarters. "Raven, this is Ivan." He said, walking towards the weapon racks, grabbing a battle rifle, shotgun, and magnum. "Prepare for transit to Haven Academy. Report to Landing Pad Bravo-3 in five."

"Got it." Raven affirmed, obviously having been awoken by Ivan. With a soft click, she closed the comms.

As Ivan slapped a magazine into the stock of his battle rifle, he turned around to see the collection of Huntsmen and Huntresses gathering up their equipment and ammunition. As his eyes drifted over to Cinder, he saw her looking back to him. "Is she attacking?"

"I don't know…" Ivan answered, grabbing a few grenades and attaching them to his combat harness. "But Thorne wouldn't call us all down there if it wasn't serious."

"Did you want me to come too, Colonel?" Oscar asked, completely devoid of Ozpin's influence by the looks of things. He had just stepped down into the Armory, still wearing his farmhand's clothes.

"Not a good idea." Ivan responded. "Best to keep you under wraps for now…"

"Alright… I understand." Oscar nodded. "He agrees with you, if that's any help."

"On second thought, CFVY, you're staying here!" Ivan ordered. "Provide security, we'll radio in if we need assistance."

"Got it, boss-man." Coco nodded.

"Alright!" Ivan shouted as everyone finished grabbing their gear. "Let's move!"

 **February 27, 2683; 0214 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Airspace over Haven Academy)**

"Colonel, something's got a lock on us!" The Marine piloting the Pelican dropship called out over the frantic beeping from the cockpit's sensors. "Incoming MANPAD!"

"Countermeasures, take evasive action!" Ivan shouted, the Pelican lurching to one side as it launched its IR flares.

"Incoming ground fire!" The Pilot shouted again, the soft pinging of incoming projectiles impacting against the Pelican's armored airframe confirming his words. "Minor damage to left stabilizer!"

"Get us as close to Haven as you can!" Ivan shouted out as the Pelican lurched again, launching more flares.

"It's happening…" Cinder managed, feeling herself pressed into the seat as the Pelican dodged yet another incoming missile.

Thorne's voice crackled to life over the comms network that Ivan shared with all of the Huntsmen and Huntresses. "Hope you all brought your weapons, Haven's hot!" He shouted, the soft rattling of an SMG replacing his voice for a moment. "White Fang are hitting the school in force, heavy damage to the central tower!"

"We're two mikes out, Thorne." Ivan answered. "Hold tight."

"You need to get on the ground _now_!" Thorne declared, hissing in anger as a round cracked past his head. " _In Spirit of Fire_ is deploying EMP!"

"Pilot, get us down _now!_ " Ivan shouted. "Incoming EMP!"

"Affirmative, Colonel!" The Pilot affirmed, sending the Pelican diving towards the ground. After a few seconds of a frantic descent, the Pelican pulled up and touched down, the rear bay door hissing open and letting the frantic sounds of battle flood the crew compartment. As the safety harnesses raised, everyone jumped to their feet and exited the dropship.

They had landed a few hundred meters out from Haven, which was alight with streaking tracers and falling mortar rounds. The dorm buildings were coming under heavy fire from concealed mortar pits, and Bullheads were descending upon the school, dropping off more and more White Fang grunts. In the distance, Ivan could make out a familiar figure fighting alongside the White Fang. She was a relatively short woman, with short black hair and disc-like weapons. He recognized her from Raven's camp… she was Raven's shadow, Vernal. As a matter of fact, it seemed that several members of Raven's tribe were attacking Haven, with Vernal gaining special attention from Ivan and Winter due in no small part to the Marine that she had just split in half with her blades.

"Is that…" Raven began.

"It is." Ivan nodded, looking through the scope of his Battle Rifle to confirm. "Thorne, be advised, members of the Branwen Tribe are assisting the White Fang."

"Acknowledged!" Thorne responded. "We'll deal with her tribe when we're done here!"

"You heard him!" Ivan shouted. "Move in, watch the flanks!"

As Ivan and the rest of his team took off in a sprint for the school, he saw a general warning appear on his HUD. "Stop!" He shouted. "Winter, lock your armor!"

Wordlessly, the two SPARTANs engaged their armor lock modules as they dropped to one knee. A moment later, all of the electronics within a two-mile radius of Haven crackled and shut down, courtesy of the EMP deployed by _In Spirit of Fire_. All of Haven and the surrounding city of Mistral was cloaked in darkness, the occasional tracer or muzzle flash lighting up the darkened campus.

Ivan and Winter both stood as the pulse passed, their comms crackling lightly with interference. As it passed, Ivan keyed into the comms grid. "Thorne, what's your position?"

"Base of the CCT." Thorne answered, the faint sound of a grenade's report drowning out his voice for a moment. "SPARTAN Team Delta is holding, but we're low on ammo."

"We're moving in now!" Ivan declared, returning to sprinting for Haven's grounds. "Hold out for a few more minutes."

As they neared the edge of Haven's campus, the attack came into better view. The White Fang had pushed ONISEC's forces back towards the center of the campus, and had placed detonation charges on many of the buildings. When the explosive charges came into view, they were all deactivated, likely due to the deployed EMP burst. A few Pelicans, caught off-guard by the attack, were laying in the midst of the campus as smoldering wrecks. Thankfully, there seemed to be a lot more bodies belonging to the White Fang than the UNSC littering the campus grounds.

Ivan raised his Battle Rifle, flipping it over to automatic fire before sending a hail of rounds downrange towards a small squad of White Fang. With Winter and Team RWBY joining in, the small squad was taken out in an instant. "Keep moving!" He ordered. "Winter, take JNPR and flank around to the East, cover our approach to the CCT!"

"Copy." Winter acknowledged, nodding for Team JNPR to follow behind her as she sprinted off.

 **February 27, 2683; 0231 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Haven Academy)**

A chill ran the length of Weiss' spine as she saw a familiar, scorpion-tailed man with a braided ponytail hack through a small platoon of Marines that were holding the entryway of the CCT behind a collapsed pillar, cackling all the while. "Ivan!" She shouted, ducking out of the way of incoming gunfire. "It's Tyrian, he's going after Thorne!"

"God damnit!" Ivan cursed, his shields absorbing the impact from a small burst of gunfire. He brought his rifle up, putting down the offending Faunus. "Disengage, pull back to the CCT!" He shouted, backpedaling as he kept pouring fire down on the slowly-approaching White Fang.

As Ivan moved, he could faintly hear the distinct reports of Mistral Army weapons. It seemed that the peanut gallery had actually decided to be useful for once, even if they were assaulting the other end of the campus from their initial entry point.

As Ivan approached the entrance to Haven's tower, he noticed the gruesome sight of the ONISEC Marines that had been slaughtered by Tyrian and the White Fang. The Marines were effective, but against a Huntsman… it was not at all pretty. He knelt down behind a collapsed pillar, taking a few shots against distant targets. Right before he stood again to enter the tower, he noticed a wing of AV-22 Sparrowhawks, AV-14 Hornets, and a pair of Condor Gunships bearing down on Haven as they escorted a dozen Pelicans. Up above, the familiar screaming of SOEIV pods descending tore through the air. As the Gunships and ODSTs began distracting the White Fang, Ivan shouted out. "Get inside!"

Ivan rushed into the tower behind Team RWBY, spotting a collection of slaughtered ONISEC Marines. Tyrian, along with a towering giant of a man who was built like a truck, were on the second level of the atrium, fighting SPARTAN Team Delta. By the looks of things, two of the four SPARTANs of Delta had been wounded in the fighting, judging by the torn Tech Suits. A third figure joined Tyrian in the fighting against the SPARTANs, a short young woman with black hair. Ivan couldn't help but feel his emotionally-fueled Semblance flicker as he saw Vernal's weapon tear through a SPARTAN's shields, followed by a precise strike from Tyrian, which sent the white-clad super soldier to the floor.

Without hesitation, Ivan and Team RWBY opened fire to assist the remaining SPARTAN, but it was too late. Tyrian moved fast, even for a trained Remnant native. The last standing member of Delta team was overwhelmed by the flurry of strikes from Tyrian, the unknown man's brute strength, and Vernal's heavy strikes. As the SPARTAN was thrown against the wall, Tyrian and Vernal leapt over the handrail, while the behemoth of a man simply walked for the elevator.

Tyrian let out a cackle as he saw Team RWBY. "Mhm… what a pleasure to see _you four_ again." He cast a look over to Ruby. "I'm afraid I still need _your_ little head for-" He was cut off as he swiftly ducked out of the way of a packet of frost Dust from Weiss.

"Don't you _dare_ touch her!" She shouted, jumping into the fray headfirst, Team RWBY following behind as they all made a rush for Tyrian.

Ivan saw Vernal was preparing to lunge for Yang, prompting him to bring his rifle to bear and jamming down on the trigger. Vernal's aura took a few hits, but she brought her weapon up to block the rest of the incoming fire as she charged for Ivan.

Ivan ducked out of the way of a rather absurdly telegraphed strike from Vernal. It was fairly clear to the SPARTAN that she was nothing if not arrogant. That didn't change the fact that she was _fast_. He did his best to keep an eye on Team RWBY's fight with Tyrian, and they seemed evenly matched. Much to Ivan's surprise, Cinder came to his aid against Vernal.

She slammed into Vernal like a truck, sending her skidding against the hardwood floor for a good fifteen feet before she came to a stop. She managed to roll out of the way in time to avoid Ivan's downward strike with the energy bayonet attached to his Battle Rifle, which carved a neat hole into the floor where she had been a moment before. Cinder had called two swords into existence, which glowed red-hot from a combination of her Semblance and Maiden abilities.

As Ivan turned to re-engage, he found himself surprised. Vernal wasn't using a single facet of her maiden abilities, simply resorting to her weapon. It seemed Cinder noticed this too, and her eyes flared out with that amber fire. Cinder was a blur of motion, movements occasionally halted by the clashing of metal on metal. Vernal was steadily pushed back, giving Ivan the opening her needed.

He keyed into his armor's thrusters, slamming into Vernal at full force and sending her flying back into a pillar. Upon impact, her Aura shattered and she fell to the floor in a heap. Ivan could see the faint rise and fall that accompanied breathing, and was happy to see that she'd be alive. He imagined that Thorne had a few… choice words for her. "Keep her pinned!" Ivan ordered to Cinder. "I'll cover-" As Ivan wheeled around to face the ongoing fight between RWBY and Tyrian, his heart sank like a rock. He saw Tyrian's scorpion tail punch through Weiss' weakened Aura, impaling her in the side. Everything happened in slow-motion for the SPARTAN, even the sight of Myrtenaster clattering to the ground.

Just as Weiss began to slump over, Ivan saw… something behind Ruby's eyes. In an instant, her eyes ignited in a silver glow. The glow was so intense that Ivan's visor automatically polarized, casting a faint filter over his vision as he watched Ruby shout out Weiss' name in pure anguish. Crescent Rose began twirling and dancing in Ruby's hands, the heavy blade clashing against Tyrian's aura. Ivan stood transfixed as Ruby, overtaken by that burst of energy, effortlessly pushed against Tyrian, forcing him to switch to a defensive stance.

Glowing rose petals fluttered to the ground as Ruby's Semblance went into overdrive. Crescent Rose's bolt action sounded more like an MA5 with how fast Ruby was firing, re-chambering a round, and reloading. Even with Ivan's enhanced reflexes and perception, he wasn't able to keep up as shell casing after shell casing clattered to the floor, Ruby using the force of the recoil to propel the scythe even faster. After a mere few moments, Ruby's relentless onslaught broke Tyrian's defenses. All Ivan saw was a flurry of slashes, followed by a heavily-lacerated Tyrian collapsing onto the floor.

Ruby, seeing that Tyrian had fallen, simply collapsed Crescent Rose and placed it back on its harness. As she blinked, her eyes returned to their non-glowing state, and a wave of fatigue washed over her. She stumbled for a moment, but quickly recovered enough to turn and face the rest of her team, who had since recovered and applying pressure to Weiss' wound. "Weiss!" She shouted, darting over to the wounded heiress. It was that that finally snapped Ivan back into reality.

He sprinted over to where Weiss was lying on the ground. She was unconscious, a small pool of blood collecting beneath her. Yang and Blake's hands were stained red, and Ruby had tears streaming down her face as she fumbled around her belt for the pouch that contained a medical kit. On autopilot, Ivan reached into his combat harness and produced a small canister of Biofoam. He removed the plastic cap from the nozzle and inserted it into the open wound. As he began applying the Biofoam, he heard the door to the tower fly open, slamming against the heavy hinges. As he glanced around, he saw that a full platoon of Sangheili Rangers in their closed-circuit breathing harnesses were storming the first floor alongside a platoon of ODSTs.

As the Rangers and ODSTs set to securing the ground floor, Ivan passed the Biofoam canister off to Yang. "Sergeant!" He shouted, catching the attention of an ODST with a Medic's emblem on his shoulder. "Tend to the wounded here, prep anti-venom!"

"Aye, sir!" The Sergeant nodded, giving a quick hand-motion to the squad he was commanding.

"Rangers, on me!" Ivan added, looking to the Sangheili Ultra that was in command of the team of Rangers.

"Understood, SPARTAN." The Ultra nodded, motioning to the six other Sangheili with his Carbine.

 **February 27, 2683; 0301 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Haven Academy)**

Ivan grunted as he worked alongside a Sangheili Ranger to force the jammed elevator door open. As the metal doors were eventually opened wide enough to allow the Sangheili through, two Rangers stormed into the Headmaster's office, Carbines raised. Ivan was a step behind them, Battle Rifle prepared to put a burst through that titan of a man's head.

Much to his surprise, Thorne seemed to be going hands-on… quite literally. His suit was tattered and torn, with the soft body armor beneath his shirt slightly visible through the torn fabric. He was missing his left sleeve completely, and his right hand was clutching a combat knife as he sprinted for Hazel, who looked rather worse-for-wear.

Hazel attempted to grapple the ONI Agent, only to find himself empty handed as Thorne's augmented reflexes kicked in, allowing him to narrowly avoid being crushed in Hazel's iron grip. In a blur, Thorne ducked under Hazel's outreached arms, forcing his knife through Hazel's slowly-recharging Aura and into his chin.

As Hazel slumped over, knife still buried in his chin, Thorne let out a heavy sigh, letting himself relax as he saw Ivan and the two Sangheili. His face was cut up, bloodied and bruised, but he still wore that confident smirk on his face. "Taking a page from your book, Colonel." He thumbed a gesture to Hazel's body. Ivan couldn't help but crack a smile at that. "I take it the campus is secure?"

"Yes, sir." Ivan nodded. "Perimeter secure and reinforcements are en-route from Vorbeck and _In Spirit of Fire_."

"Good…" Thorne sighed, casting a glance over to his broken magnum. "Casualties?"

"ONISEC took heavy losses, we're still searching for bodies and survivors." Ivan explained. "Beyond that, Weiss was wounded by Tyrian."

"Has he been taken care of?" Thorne asked. Ivan couldn't believe it… Thorne sounded concerned. Even if it was barely noticeable.

"Ruby handled him… exceptionally well, might I add." Ivan explained.

Before Thorne could continue, Winter's voice came over the short-range comms. "Director, a Bullhead carrying Taurus managed to escape. I've attached a beacon to the airframe."

"Excellent work, SPARTAN Schnee." Thorne praised. Truth be told, he didn't even know Taurus was present for this. "Sync the beacon's tracker with ONI's systems."

"Understood, sir." Winter acknowledged, closing down the comms.

Thorne sighed, steeling himself. "Well… let's survey the damage."

 **February 27, 2683; 0312 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Haven Academy)**

Thorne exited the rickety elevator, handing Ivan's half-empty Biofoam canister back to him as he applied the bandage to his cheekbone. An involuntary chill ran the length of his spine as the coagulant in the Biofoam did its work to seal up his wounds temporarily, and he fought it back.

As Thorne surveyed the ground floor, he saw Team JNPR milling about the area as they helped the Marines and Sangheili where they could. Winter was standing over the young woman that Ivan had described as Vernal, who now had an Aura Suppression Harness wrapped around the back of her neck. The three surviving SPARTANs of Delta Team were standing beside Raven. Thorne could tell by their stance… they were prepared to put her down. Finally, Thorne saw Ruby, Yang, and Blake kneeling beside two ODST Corpsmen as they administered first-aid to Weiss, who still had yet to regain consciousness. For just the slightest moment, Thorne felt something tie up in his gut, and he forced that down.

As he glanced back to Raven, she looked up to him. She had been staring at Vernal for a few moments, and Thorne was fuming behind his cool exterior. "SPARTAN, your sidearm?" Thorne asked, looking to Ivan. Wordlessly, Ivan handed Thorne an M6 Magnum, which he tucked into his holster.

Thorne silently descended the steps to the first floor, heading towards Raven. Before he could speak up, an ONISEC Lieutenant caught his attention at the perfect time. "Director, orders for the prisoners?"

"How many do we have?" Throne asked, pausing for a moment and making sure to speak just loud enough for Raven to hear him.

"Forty three White Fang and eighteen members of the Branwen Tribe, nineteen including the girl." The ODST nodded back towards Vernal.

"Hold them for now." Thorne answered, lowering his voice for his next few words. "If my implant's transponder goes dark within the next twenty minutes, relay Contingency Protocol Victor-13 to FLEETCOM."

"Understood, sir." The ODST nodded, moving back towards the other ODSTs who were tending to the bodies.

Thorne strode over to Raven, his face hardened. "Did you know _anything_ about this?" He asked.

"N-no!" Raven defended. "Why in the world would I do this?"

"So you're telling me that Spring over there did this?" Thorne asked, nodding in Vernal's direction. Raven solemnly nodded. "Well… you're lucky I need her alive." Thorne turned to start walking towards Vernal. Raven winced as she watched Thorne draw his Magnum, pressing it to Vernal's forehead as she looked up to him. "On your feet. Any sudden moves and I ventilate your skull."

As Vernal simply remained still, Thorne reached down with his free hand and grabbed her by the collar, yanking her to her feet. He walked beside her, magnum pressed to her temple as he led her towards the decorative statue in between the two staircases leading to the elevator banks. "Thorne!" Raven called out.

"Robertson, if she opens her goddamn mouth again, I want you to-" Thorne was cut off by Raven.

"She isn't the Spring Maiden!" Raven declared. " _I_ am!" Raven felt her heart sink into her stomach as the entire room went dead silent, save for her daughter.

 _"_ _WHAT?!"_ Yang shouted, stunned. Blake, Ruby, Ivan, and Winter all shared that sentiment.

"If this is another one of your lies to protect this waste of skin…" Thorne pressed the barrel of his magnum deeper into Vernal's temple. "I swear to Christ I'll kill both of you. Come with me. Robertson, Delta stands relieved."

Raven sighed as the SPARTANs stepped aside for her, allowing her to walk towards Thorne. As she stood beside him, she watched him pull a small pocket watch out from his tattered suit jacket, placing it into an empty slot on the statue. Much to everyone's surprise, the statue began trembling as it lowered itself into the floor, revealing a concealed elevator. "Chesnokov…" Thorne began, prompting Ivan to pick his jaw up off the floor. "Keep Mistral's army and the press the hell away from my AO. I'll be back in five."

Lacking any elegance, Thorne shoved Vernal forward onto the platform and waited for Raven to follow. He released his grip on Vernal's shoulder long enough to pull a lever, allowing the platform to begin descending even further.

As the elevator began its slow descent, Raven spoke up. "Why, Vernal?"

"I… I did it for the good of the tribe." Vernal answered.

"For the good of the tribe?" Raven asked, almost sounding insulted. "They're our _family_ , and you led them to this slaughter?!"

Thorne seriously considered pistol-whipping Vernal if she responded, but the elevator finished its descent. Thorne honestly would've been dumbstruck if he wasn't so blindingly angry. There was a massive tree resting above a golden door, seemingly embedded in a rock face. Certain leaves on this tree were glowing a dull orange, and the path leading to the door began glowing a dull blue as he led Vernal and Raven onto it. It honestly reminded Thorne a bit of Yggdrasil.

"Open that goddamn door." Thorne ordered, nodding to Raven.

Raven sucked in a deep breath as she approached the towering door, pausing for a moment to glance back to Vernal. As Thorne saw this, he pressed the barrel of his magnum back into her temple. Raven, seeing this, placed her hand against the golden portal and stepped back. The heavy door grinded against the stone floor as it opened, revealing a simple stone pedestal holding a baseball-sized orb. It glowed a bright green, simply sitting there.

"Thank you." Thorne released Vernal, letting her fall to the floor in a heap. Without her Aura, her wounds were healing at a normal rate, and she was in no shape to resist Thorne. Thorne made sure to keep a firm grip on his Magnum as he approached the Relic of Knowledge, his keen senses ensuring that Raven was making no moves against him. When he was satisfied that she was kneeling beside Vernal, he reached out and took the Relic in his hand. It was warm to touch, and began pulsating slowly as he removed it from the pedestal.

Thorne turned around, keying into the Battlenet and connecting to FLEETCOM. "Remnant FLEETCOM, this is Director Thorne, requesting immediate artifact recovery at Haven Academy. Maximum security."

"Acknowledged, Director." Admiral Bishop answered.

Thorne began making his way back towards the elevator, slowing his pace enough to allow Raven to catch up as she helped Vernal make the walk. As soon as they stepped onto the elevator, Thorne pulled the lever, allowing it to begin its upwards journey. "I'm sorry, Thorne." Raven apologized, looking to him.

"Apologize all you like, it's not me you should be apologizing to." Thorne deadpanned.

"What do you mean?" Raven asked.

"You said your tribe is your family?" Thorne asked. "How about your only fucking daughter? Start by apologizing to her for running off to raid caravans and ransack villages." Thorne was already this far in, he might as well keep going. He couldn't quite explain it, but Raven's irrational bullshit pushed him over the edge. He could finally admit it to himself. He _did_ truly care about those four girls. "You're lucky Yang can even look you in the eye."

"I will…" Raven nodded, seeing that the elevator was coming close to the ground level again. "What about Vernal and the other survivors?"

"The eighteen we recovered will be arrested and tried as terrorists." Thorne answered. "Her, on the other hand." He turned to glare at Vernal. "You'll be an example. I want you to bring her back to your tribe and make it absolutely clear that if we receive any reports of attacks on caravans or villages, I will personally turn that camp into a glass crater."

"It's all they know, Thorne…" Raven explained.

"Then you'd better hope they're quick learners." Thorne shrugged, sliding the magnum back into his holster as he produced a small active camouflage unit and attached it to the Relic, sending the activation signal through his neural lace. In an instant, the Relic shimmered out of sight, its green glow hidden behind the refractive properties of the camo unit. He placed his hands behind his back as the elevator reached the surface, finding himself looking out at a notably cleaner room. Many of the bodies had been cleared away, and Weiss was still unconscious, but if the updates from the Battlenet were accurate, she was now fully stabilized.

As Thorne looked around, he spotted Ivan as he spoke quietly with Robertson. "Colonel!" Thorne declared. "Have your team prepare to mobilize, you're following up on Taurus. I'm placing the Third Marine Battalion under your command, you're leaving in fifteen."

"Understood, sir!" Ivan acknowledged with a salute.

"I'm going too." Yang declared.

"Me too." Blake nodded.

"Alright." Thorne nodded, smirking.

"I'll stay behind with Weiss." Ruby looked to Blake and Yang. "Make sure she's okay. This is for you three to handle, anyways."

"Alright…" Ivan nodded.

"And Cinder?" Thorne asked, drawing her attention. "After I talk with Fireteam Crimson… we should talk."

"Alright…" Cinder nodded.

 **February 27, 2683; 0351 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Haven Academy)**

"You wanted to talk with me, Thorne?" Cinder asked, walking up to Thorne. She already knew damn well what Thorne had just done, given that he handed something to a fireteam of heavily-armed SPARTANs, who were now on a Pelican heading for orbit.

"Straight to the point… good." Thorne chuckled. "I have to say, the intelligence you provided on Haven, the Relics, and the Maidens was invaluable… thank you."

"Did you just… thank me?" Cinder asked, stunned. That was the first time that she had ever heard Thorne _genuinely_ thank someone out of more than just courtesy.

"I did, don't let it go to your head." He smirked. "If the Colonel's reports are accurate, and I have no reason to believe they aren't… I believe you've managed to earn some measure of trust from him. I'll defer to his judgement on that. In short… You've also earned some of my trust."

"Thank you, Thorne… I trust the Relic's in good hands?" Cinder asked.

"The best." Thorne smirked. "Salem will just have to settle for one Relic." Thorne glanced over to the inbound Pelican, bearing the insignia of the Marines on the landing gear. "Now, I think you have a ride to catch."

Cinder nodded, turning to head towards Ivan, Winter, Yang, and Blake. Just as she began walking, Thorne called out to her again. "And Cinder?"

"Hmm?" She hummed in return.

"When you get back from taking out the trash… we'll see about re-negotiating our little 'insurance policy'."

Cinder allowed the smallest of smiles to cross her face as she heard Thorne say that. With a quick nod, she started making her way towards the Pelican

 **February 27, 2683; 0445 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Weiss awoke, her entire body feeling like it was made of stone. As she attempted to sit upright, she felt a stinging pain in her left side, causing her to let out a grunt as she reflexively reached up to grab at her side. She looked around, surprised to find herself back in her bedroom that she shared with Ruby. She glanced over to the electronic clock sitting on her nightstand, surprised to see that she hadn't been out for _too_ long. Much to her surprise, Ruby was nowhere to be found.

Right as Weiss considered Ruby's absence, she heard the door click open. She turned her head, seeing her partner walking into the room with a mug of coffee in her hands. Ruby was obviously fairly engrossed in her coffee, seeing as she didn't notice that Weiss was awake. "You didn't make me one, Ruby?" Weiss asked with a small smile on her face.

Ruby's head shot up in an instant, nearly dropping the mug onto the floor in her attempt to place it down on the dresser. Immediately, she darted over to the bed. "Weiss!" She declared, jumping onto the bed and wrapping her arms around the heiress' shoulders. "You're awake." Weiss could feel Ruby's fingers running through her hair, her next words sounding like she was on the verge of tears. "I was so worried…"

Weiss returned the gesture, allowing her hand to reach up and hold Ruby's head against her shoulder. Sure, it made the pain in her side flare up a bit, but she didn't care. "Shh…" Weiss shushed, running her fingers through her partner's hair. "We all made it, didn't we?"

Ruby sniffled, pulling back. "Yeah…" A smile crossed her face as Weiss reached up to wipe away a stray tear on Ruby's face with her sleeve. She just noticed, but it seemed someone had changed her into her normal nightgown.

A small smile crossed her lips as she noticed that little detail. "Ruby Rose… did you change my clothes?" Weiss immediately knew the culprit when Ruby's face blushed so deep that her cheeks matched her cloak.

"I-erm-uh…" Ruby tried. "Y-Your dress was torn, and I-"

Weiss broke out into a fit of giggles at Ruby's awkwardness, fighting back the desire to wince as the pain flared up again. "If it were anyone else, there'd be a problem." She leaned forward, pressing her lips to Ruby's. "You… I'm fine with."

"If it helps, I tried to do it with my eyes closed?" Ruby tried, earning another fit of giggles from the heiress.

"You really are too adorable, Ruby." Weiss managed, controlling her giggles enough to speak. She adjusted herself slightly, pushing the pillows up a bit to allow her to comfortably rest against the headboard. She felt that familiar fuzzy feeling as Ruby snuggled into her side. "Where's everyone else?"

"JNPR and CFVY are all downstairs, catching up with Ozpin." Ruby explained. "Ivan, Winter, Blake, Yang, and Cinder are all hunting down Adam."

"And you didn't go with them?" Weiss asked, surprised.

"When my Weiss is hurt and needs snuggles? Heck no!" Ruby declared, earning a laugh from Weiss.

Weiss settled into a comfortable silence, savoring the warmth and energy that Ruby brought with her. It almost seemed like Ruby's Aura was helping her own to heal the last of the wound in her side, because the pain had started to clear completely. After a few minutes of enjoying Ruby's company, Weiss looked down to her partner. "So… did anything happen while I was out?"

"Oh _crap_!" Ruby declared, eyes shooting wide open. "I totally forgot to tell you!"

"What?" Weiss asked, surprised by Ruby's serious tone.

"Yang's _mom_ was the Spring Maiden!" Ruby declared.

"What!?" Weiss asked, stunned.

"That's _exactly_ what Yang said!" Ruby explained. "They talked for a few minutes before they left to go find Adam… she didn't get a chance to tell me what it was all about yet. Oh! And I finally figured out how to _kinda_ use my silver eyes!"

"Really?" Weiss asked, deciding to save the Spring Maiden talk for when Yang got back. "How so?"

"Well… I did beat that scary Tyrian guy." Ruby shrugged. "It's all a blur, really… I just remember seeing him sting you, getting really angry, then next thing I know he's dead."

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked, surprised to hear Ruby talk so candidly about killing someone. Sure, killing wasn't exactly foreign to this particular group of Huntresses, but Ruby was the last person that she imagined would be so calm about it.

"I'm totally fine, just a little tired." Ruby shrugged.

"I mean… are you _okay_?" Weiss asked, hoping the extra emphasis would help.

"Weiss… He tried to _kill_ you." Ruby responded, her voice surprisingly serious and clear. " _Nobody_ hurts my friends. Especially my girlfriend."

Weiss considered Ruby's words for a moment, simply nodding in response. She had just about melted when Ruby had so easily called her 'girlfriend,' but she managed to keep enough composure to stop herself from blushing. She leaned in for another kiss, Ruby meeting her halfway. "Thank you, Ruby… for everything."

"Of course, Weiss." Ruby smiled, snuggling back into Weiss' side. "Sleep time?"

Weiss smiled in return, resting her head on Ruby's own. "Sleep time." She affirmed with a soft nod.

 **A/N:**

 **In the wise words of the great Big Boss: Kept you waiting, huh?**

 **Sorry to keep from updating this for so long, but rewriting the whole damn thing burned me out for a good while. I hope this slightly-longer chapter made up for it.**

 **Speaking of slightly longer chapters, expect the next chapter (which also happens to be the end of Act II. Crazy, huh?) to be just as long, if not a little longer.**

 **Now, onto the review responses, my dudes (only a few months overdue):**

 **Tytobird- It was indeed a reference to the Meta, suggested by a reader. I can't have a RWBY/Halo fic without at least** ** _mentioning_** **RvB**

 **iZuiKaku- Here's hoping this breaks things up a bit. Expect some** ** _t_** **in the next chapter (which I'm already in the process of writing, shouldn't take too long (tm))**

 **Andy021- Thanks, dude. Re-writing my longest fic so far was a fucking slog, but I'm happy with how it turned out.**

 **Guest- Oh, don't you worry.**

 **Artyom- If only those damn Forerunners didn't decide to be a bunch of children… then maybe the galaxy wouldn't be so fucked. And yes, Salem would indeed be a Precursor.**

 **ShadowWolf 7.62- Thanks, my dude. You have a great day, too! (seven months late, lol)**

 **FunkyShnlepnu jr.- It was always my understanding that Sangheili had a pretty long natural lifespan. Only issue is that not many lived to see old age, being a very honor-bound and warrior-based culture and all. I could be wrong. Hell, I probably am with how much Halo lore gets shaken up by new information, but I'll just stick with the long lifespans because I'm lazy.**

 **\- Thorne was mostly speaking in hyperbole there, but he was directly referencing the Gravemind, and to a certain extend the Didact.**

 **Andy021 again- We could only ever** ** _see_** **it reach out to 100m, because it was fighting in an (albeit ruined) semi-urban environment. It didn't exactly have a lot of area to work with.**

 **Anon- que?**

 **Jakesucks12345- It shares the same basic design as the Didact's armor, but it's got a blue glow to it. It's also missing those fancy pauldron/gorget things the Didact had. I always imagined the Didact's armor being largely ceremonial, not exactly built for open combat and all. Ivan's armor design more-reflects a combat-oriented design. It's a lot sleeker, less bulky, etc.**

 **Axcel (sweet Christ, dude)- The White Fang didn't design that armor lock module, it was a UNSC pattern on, like the one Locke tried to use on the Chief in Halo 5. And, as for him going undetected, the first few chapters point out that Dust plays havoc with UNSC sensors. As for Winter's training being so short, she was already trained by a highly skilled military force, could feasibly match a SPARTAN IV in raw skill, and has 100 years of advanced tech on her side. By this point, SPARTANs aren't hard to train, they're just expensive.**

 **Axcel (again)- The reason that SPARTAN Ops doesn't show any difference between IIs and IVs in terms of lethality is because it's a game. In the books and Halo 5, it's very clear that a SPARTAN II could absolutely crush a SPARTAN IV.**

 **Deadpixel819- Hey man, I can't fault you for that. You like what you like, and you dislike what you dislike.**

 **ThatoneGuy- See above**

 **Everyone else, because this is getting absurdly long- Thanks for the reviews, guys. Seriously. Y'all are awesome for sticking with me while I re-wrote this, and waiting for like 7 months while I finally got a new update for it out. Hope y'all enjoyed.**


	38. Chapter 38: The Best is Yet to Come

**Chapter 38: The Best is Yet To Come**

 **February 27, 2683; 0431 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Wilderness)**

"Colonel, visual confirmed on the Fang HQ." Sergeant Celese explained, ducking under a branch as she approached Ivan's position. This was the same Faunus that had approached him after the nearly-botched party at the Schnee Estate in Vale and joined him on Menagerie. "We've got mines on the approach."

"Any foot patrols?" Ivan asked, looking up from the scope of his sniper rifle. "Weapon emplacements?"

"None visible on the approach, sir." Celese answered, shaking her head. "The outer structure is well-defended, though. Seems to be built into the mountain."

"Blake, anything you can tell me about what's inside the defenses?" Ivan asked, looking over to Blake.

She sighed, running through her memories as she peered through a rangefinder. "It's been years, but… I remember a _lot_ of heavy weapons inside. They probably have some Covenant weapons, too."

"Good point…" Ivan admitted. He was given complete command over this assault, so the choice ultimately fell to him. "Alright…" He began, keying into the Battlenet. "Vulture-1, this is Chesnokov. Break off from holding pattern and prepare for an attack run on marked targets. Laser designator."

"Copy that, Colonel." Vulture-1, the leader of a wing of Shortsword Bombers, acknowledged. "ETA: two minutes."

"Third Battalion, Shortsword run inbound." Ivan keyed into the Third Battalion's comms. "Prepare to move."

Ivan tuned out the calls of affirmation from the various companies within the battalion, turning to Cinder, Yang, Blake, and Winter. Yang and Blake started standing upright, preparing their weapons. Winter started heading for the small collection of vehicles that had been dropped off by Pelicans, climbing into the open hatch of a Mantis. The heavy servos of the mech's appendages whirred as it stood fully upright, the autocannons and missile pods on its arms activating with a heavy clank. Cinder simply rolled her shoulders around, then activated the Dust that was woven into her dress. The red dress shimmered and shifted into an all-black bodysuit of sorts, and that familiar flaming blade appeared in her hand.

Ivan stood, placing the sniper rifle on the magnetic strips on his back. He grabbed his Battle Rifle from the second retention strip, then powered the weapon up and watched the LED ammunition counter flare to life. As he turned to see Winter's Mantis slowly stomp over, he saw the distant silhouette of a Mistral flagship. Thorne and ONI had been rather… heavy-handed with Mistral's military, but it seemed to be enough to keep them at a distance from the assault.

Just as Ivan sent a quick hand motion to Yang, signaling for her to stick close, Vulture-1's voice came back over the Battlenet. "Vulture's paving the way for you, Third Battalion. Good luck." A moment later, the heavy thrumming of Shortsword engines could be heard overhead, grabbing everyone's attention. Six of the aircraft were flying in formation over the AO. "Guns, guns, guns!" The Wing Leader declared over the Battlenet, signaling incoming ground fire. Ivan watched as anti-air batteries within the White Fang facility flared to life, heading for the wing of Shortswords. It was far too little, too late.

The earth shook as a veritable carpet of munitions fell on the White Fang headquarters in Mistral, kicking up dust and debris in all directions. The approach leading up to the facility itself also found itself engulfed in flame as the bombing run activated the landmines. "Third Battalion, move in!" Ivan declared, running over to the rear of a Gauss 'Hog and manning the cannon. "Cinder, with me! Blake and Yang, stick with Winter!"

"Got it!" Yang affirmed, running after the stomping Mantis as it knocked the thin trees aside.

Once Cinder climbed into the passenger's set, Celese keyed the engine and began moving towards the facility.

As the UNSC forces broke concealment and began converging on the White Fang's HQ, the full breadth of this Battalion made itself known rather clearly. Well over eighty Warthogs of varying types, thirty Scorpion-II MBTs, ten Grizzly Heavy Tanks, twelve Mantis Mechs, and a pair of Cobras emerged from the forest surrounding the facility. Three Condor Gunships and an escort of twelve Sparrowhawks followed behind the ground assault, the heavy gauss cannons of the aircraft hammering down on targets visible through their thermal optics. Just over 1,200 Marines and their vehicle support were converging on the largest White Fang facility on Remnant, and it was truly shaking the planet to its core.

After closing the distance relatively unopposed, the first of the UNSC's ground forces arrived at the rubble that was once the defensive wall. Dust and debris was still slowly making its way towards the surface, reducing visibility. Celese pulled on the handbrake, bringing the Warthog to a stop just at the edge of the rubble. She and Cinder jumped out of the vehicle, while Ivan wheeled the gauss cannon around to scan for hostiles. By the looks of things… there weren't any. There were shattered and broken Paladins, twisted masses of metal that were once anti-air batteries, and mangled bodies littering the large courtyard. The ground around them had been blackened by high-explosive munitions, leaving almost nothing in its wake.

Satisfied that there was no resistance on the outside of the facility, Ivan jumped from the back of the Warthog. "Alpha Company, secure the perimeter." He spoke into the Battlenet, just as Winter, Blake, and Yang arrived. "Bravo and Charlie, break off and clear the facility!"

Ivan turned to see Winter powering down the Mantis, climbing out of the hatch and passing the controls off to a waiting Marine. "I'll take point for Charlie." She explained, producing her M7 SMG.

"Copy." Ivan nodded. "You three…" He motioned to Cinder, Yang, and Blake. "With me."

 **February 27, 2683; 0512 Hours**

 **Remnant, Orbit (** ** _UNSC In Spirit of Fire_** **Bridge)**

"Director, Third Battalion confirms entry to the facility." Agent Anastasia explained, flipping through the mission updates on her datapad. "Perimeter has been secured and the facility is being cleared."

"Excellent." Thorne nodded, seeing a confirmation ping appear on his own datapad. As he opened the notification, he saw that the _Avalon_ had confirmed the relic's arrival on-board, and was now en-route to FLEETCOM Alpha on Reach. He allowed himself a smile, knowing that one more loose end had been tied up and was well out of Salem's reach for the time being. He had to admit, seeing the glowing green orb suddenly fade into a rather ornate lantern on after its pulsating had concluded was rather strange, but he simply attributed it to the Relic being of Precursor design. "Any word on the Specimen?"

"Yes, sir." Agent Yorck affirmed. "Analysts detected faint Hawking Radiation within the creature's orb, suggesting some form of biological Slipspace communication. We've so far been unsuccessful in finding the link point." Yorck tapped his Datapad for a moment. "And the analysis corroborates what the Forerunners found, there's an alarming similarity between the Grimm and the Flood. The 'cells' that make up Grimm creatures are similar in design to a Flood spore. Thankfully, that's where the similarities end."

"Confirms what we already know…" Thorne shrugged. "What about this update on Grimm activity?"

"It's strange…" Yorck returned. "The Grimm that have been infesting Beacon are dispersing, and the Wyvern has decomposed. We're receiving similar reports across Remnant, the Grimm seem to be losing the higher intelligence we've observed since the fall of Beacon. Almost like they're reverting to the feral state outlined in Colonel Chesnokov's original reports."

Thorne sighed. He had almost seen something like this coming. It seemed that Salem realized a change of plans was necessary. The CCT network had finally been rendered obsolete just a few hours ago, and a planet-wide firmware update had been rolled out to bring all electronics into the UEG's Waypoint Network. Salem's minions had either been turned to the UEG or killed outright, and the closest thing she had to a militant force was in the process of being crushed. The closest parallel to military strategy that Thorne could draw was a tactical retreat… Salem was biding her time, building up. "Well…" Thorne sighed again, running a hand through his hair. "This calls for a… change in strategy. Notify Remnant FLEETCOM that the Kronos Protocol is now in effect."

Yorck nodded. "Understood, sir."

 **February 27, 2683; 0519 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (White Fang HQ)**

"Ivan, that's the High Leader's throne room." Blake explained, nodding to the heavy wooden doors. The Marines were still in the process of clearing out the facility, meeting expectedly heavy resistance. Reinforcements were en-route from orbit in the form of ODSTs, and Vorbeck had mobilized another battalion of Marines to assist. With the entire facility surrounded by the UNSC's air force, everyone present knew that this was the end of the line for the White Fang. Blake had taken the whole ordeal surprisingly well. "If Adam wasn't killed in the bombing run, he's in here."

"Alright…" Ivan nodded, exchanging his half-spent Battle Rifle magazine for a fresh one. He keyed into the comms network, linking up with Winter. "Winter, what's your status?"

Judging by the comms chatter, it seemed that Winter and Fourth Platoon had engaged a rather elite group of White Fang armed with old Covenant weaponry. "Heavy resistance in the primary motor pool, Covenant weapons confirmed. Light casualties." Ivan heard the telltale sound of Winter igniting her Semblance, the roar of an Ursa coming over the comms.

"Do you need support?" Ivan asked, slowly approaching the heavy doors with Yang, Blake, Cinder, and a small platoon of Marines.

"Negative, we've got this." Winter's voice was expectedly cool and collected, even as she pulled the pin on a frag grenade. "You just get Taurus, we'll pick up the trash."

"Copy that." Ivan acknowledged, closing down the comms. He looked to the door, motioning for the Huntresses and Marines to stack up. As they did, a Marine placed a shaped C-12 breaching charge on the door and stepped back into the stack, thumb hovering over the detonator. "Ready?" Ivan asked.

"Ready." Yang affirmed, Cinder and Blake simply nodding.

"Breach in three… two… one… mark!" At Ivan's word, the Marine hammered down on the detonator, blasting the doors inwards. Celese and another Marine each tossed a flashbang through the doorway, and everyone filed in after the flashbangs popped.

The platoon of Marines, SPARTAN, and Huntresses all stepped over a pair of White Fang honor guards that were caught in the blast of the breaching charge, finding themselves in a large room lit by wall sconces and ceremonial pyres of sorts. A dozen honor guards stood in front of the twelve pillars that provided support for the large throne room, all of them staggered from the flashbangs. Six more stood beside a throne that sat on an elevated platform, with the seat housing their mark. Ivan flipped his rifle over to semi-automatic, and quickly slotted a round through the heads of the twelve honor guards lining the approach to the throne, the entire action taking just under two seconds thanks to his augmentations.

All of the Marines and the Huntresses raised their weapons towards Taurus and the six remaining guards, who had raised their pikes in a defensive stance. As much as everyone present wanted to simply put Taurus down, they had their orders. ONI wanted him alive, if at all possible.

Even staring down the barrel of over a dozen guns, Adam simply chuckled. "You're all here… how fitting." He stood upright, resting a hand on the hilt of his blade. Ivan felt something rather particular when it came to the six honor guards that remained. Unlike the others, who were simply there for ceremony's sake… these six were trained. They each had an Aura, and a rifle of sorts seemed to be built into their pikes.

"Adam Taurus, stand down!" Ivan shouted, his rifle trained directly on his chest.

"Adam… it's over." Blake said, seeing him visibly tense at the SPARTAN's words.

"I'm _not_ going to let you ruin everything our brothers and sisters have-" Adam found himself cut off by a rather unexpected voice: Celese.

"Don't you fucking _dare_ finish that fucking sentence, Taurus!" Celese shouted. As Ivan looked out of the corner of his eye, he could see that the Wolf Faunus was dangerously close to hammering down on that trigger. "Don't you _dare_ lump all of our people in with the likes of you!" Ivan, in just about any other circumstance, would've put a stop to this; but when he saw the honor guards visible slack their grip on their weapons, he elected to let it continue. "What good have you done for the Faunus?"

"Another one of us, brainwashed by your kind." Adam's gaze drifted over to the SPARTAN.

"Brainwashed?!" Celese continued, startling even Blake. "You've led hundreds of Faunus to slaughter! How many of our people are you willing to use as fucking _cannon fodder_ for your goddamn crusade against the Humans?!"

"She's right, Adam!" Blake shouted. "You can still end this peacefully… please."

"Still afraid to face me alone, Blake?" Adam chuckled. "Fitting… Everything around you is cowardly, even your Semblance." Ivan watched as Blake's grip went white-knuckled against Gambol Shroud's grip. "I've made powerful friends while you've been off with these Humans."

"And where are these 'powerful friends' of yours?" Blake asked, eyes locked with the Grimm mask. That _definitely_ pissed Adam off.

"Because in case you can't tell…" Yang made out through gritted teeth, cybernetic arm unconsciously flexing and relaxing. "She's made some pretty damn powerful friends, too."

Adam let out a low, almost primal growl. "I should've killed you when I had the chance." Without warning, Adam lunged forward at a speed that only a Huntsman could ever achieve. He was almost a blur, even to Ivan's enhanced perception. Before he could even re-adjust his aim on Taurus' charging form, he was already almost on top of Blake.

As he swung his blade in a wide arc, looking to cut Blake in half, he found himself cutting through a Shadow Clone. In the few milliseconds he had to think about it, he realized there was something different about this one… there wasn't a real Blake in sight. In an instant, Adam felt a heavy strike against the back of his head, sending him to the floor in a heap. Ivan, Yang, and Cinder all wheeled around to face him, and the Marines opened fire on the six Honor Guards. Even with their Auras, they simply collapsed under the combined fire from an entire platoon of Marines.

Ivan watched as Blake shimmered back into view behind Adam, who was already getting back on his feet. In a blind rage, he attempted another swing, but Blake saw the telegraphed attack from a mile away. In perfect sync, Ivan watched as Blake activated the active camo unit he had given to her months ago, leaving another clone behind as she shimmered out of sight. Yang seemed to connect the dots almost instantly. Just after Adam found his blade cutting through another clone, Yang lunged forward. Her cybernetic fist connected with Adam's jaw, and both barrels of her gauntlet unleashed a slug. Ivan watched in amazement as Adam was thrown against one of the marble pillars, the impact force sending cracks webbing across the stone surface. Not delaying any further, Ivan engaged his armor's thrusters and sprinted towards Taurus.

Adam, completely stunned, found a full ton of MJOLNIR armor to be slamming into him. The sheer force of the impact sent him _through_ the pillar and crashing into the floor on the other side, his Aura collapsed. He attempted to stand again, using Wilt for support, but he found his blade kicked aside by a familiar black boot. As Blake kicked Wilt aside, Ivan stormed over and locked an Aura Suppression Collar around the base of Adam's skull. "Like she said, Taurus… it's over." Ivan deadpanned as Cinder moved to restrain his hands.

"You're lucky, Adam." Blake stated, completely calm and level. " _Our_ powerful friend wants you alive."

Ivan chuckled, seeing the look of defeat on Adam's face as he realized his Aura wasn't slowly recharging. Ivan reached into Adam's breast pocket, producing his Scroll. Opening the small device, he keyed into the facility-wide intercom system. "Attention all White Fang insurgents, this is Colonel Chesnokov. Adam Taurus has been taken into custody, and this facility is surrounded. Make the sensible decision, lay down your weapons and surrender. Under the authority of the Office of Naval Intelligence, you will be granted all rights and privileges afforded to prisoners of war. Please… let's end this war."

 **February 27, 2683; 0621 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (White Fang HQ)**

Thorne stood upright as the Pelican's rear door hissed open, letting the cool air of Mistral's Northern countryside flood the crew compartment. He had landed on the edge of the ruins of the White Fang HQ, which was now completely occupied by UNSC Marines and ODSTs. Defenses had been set up to hold back any incoming Grimm, and all of the prisoners had been assembled in the courtyard. Agents Yorck and Anastasia followed behind him as he descended the ramp.

Thorne let a smile cross his face as he approached Ivan, who was standing alongside Cinder, Winter, Yang, and Blake as they all watched Adam like a hawk. Thorne couldn't help but have an elated feeling swell in his chest as he saw Taurus' weapon attached to Ivan's magnetic retention strip on his back. The former high leader of the White Fang was knelt down beside a half-dozen White Fang officers, under constant guard from a squad of ODSTs. "Excellent work, Colonel." Thorne praised. "I almost didn't expect capture."

Thorne could practically feel the smile behind Ivan's words, even through the helmet. "I've gotten better at following orders."

Thorne chuckled. "Well, I wouldn't have blamed you if you decided to deny him three hots and a cot on the taxpayer's dime." His gaze shifted to Yang and Blake. "And you two performed incredibly well… even if I'm going to have a talk with Ivan about his use of our active camouflage modules."

"Did you expect anything less, Thorne?" Yang asked, her ever-present cockiness coming through.

"No… you managed to exceed my already high expectations for this operation." Thorne smiled again.

"What's going to happen with him?" Blake nodded towards Adam.

"Like the others, he'll face trial before the UNSC Admiralty Board for the crimes of terrorism, insurrection, kidnapping, and destruction of military property." Thorne shrugged. "With various crimes against humanity thrown in for good measure. Best case, the goliath of a file we have on him ensures the taxpayers don't have to keep him alive. Worst case, he rots in a cell."

"Good." Was all Blake had to say on the matter.

"Well, what's next for us?" Yang asked.

"ONI will clean up here, keep the press at bay until we're ready to make everything public later today." Thorne explained. "I'll be joining you all on the flight back to Vorbeck… I need to have a talk with Ozpin."

"Is this about what I think it is, Thorne?" Ivan asked, casting his gaze over to the ONI Director. Ivan, due in no small part to his position as an ONI Operative, received a message during the battle about something called the 'Kronos Protocol'. Even with his rather high security clearance, he had no idea what that was.

"Indeed…" Thorne nodded. "I'll explain everything soon, after I talk with Ozpin." He turned to Anastasia and Yorck. "Agents, see to it that Taurus is brought to orbit for processing and questioning."

"Understood." Anastasia nodded, moving to relieve the ODSTs.

 **February 27, 2683; 0810 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Ivan smirked as he pushed the door open, finding all of CFVY and JNPR assembled in the living room watching TV. As he stepped inside, still wearing his MJOLNIR with Adam's weapon strapped to his back, all eyes turned to face the returning SPARTANs and Huntresses. Color them surprised to see Thorne following behind. Ivan could barely keep up with all of the questions, and had to practically shout to calm everyone down. "Christ, everyone chill out."

"Did you get him?" Coco asked.

"Oh, we got him." Yang smirked.

Ivan chuckled as he watched a cheer broke out across the living room. Thorne's eyes scanned the room, eventually settling on Oscar as he walked in from the kitchen. As the cheers died down, he spoke up. "Oscar, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to talk with Ozpin for a few minutes."

"U-uh… sure." Oscar nodded, seeing all eyes in the room turn to look at him.

The conversation carried on as Thorne and Oscar stepped outside, presumably heading somewhere they could talk in private. After a minute of talking, Ruby and Weiss stepped out of their shared room. "You're back!" Ruby declared.

"And you've got his weapon." Weiss smiled. "I take it he's done."

"Oh, he's got a one-way ticket to meet the Admiralty Board." Ivan smirked, leaning against the wall.

Ivan quickly found himself pulled into recounting the entire operation to the rest of his team, Yang and Blake occasionally chiming in to further elaborate. After explaining what had happened, Ivan and Winter both went downstairs to get out of their armor, then made the executive decision to get some food going.

As everyone was eating in the living room, all too lazy to get the table prepared, their attention was grabbed by a news broadcast that overrode the weather report.

 _More on the recent story out of Mistral, more information on the massive UNSC operation in the Northern sector has been released to the public. The UNSC Marines Third Battalion was mobilized to strike at the primary command center for the White Fang, and they have succeeded in their mission._

 _Adam Taurus, wanted fugitive and leader of the terror organization, has finally been captured by UNSC forces. Taurus was captured, alongside nearly three hundred known White Fang members and sympathizers, in this recent raid._

 _The UNSC Office of Naval Intelligence, which presided over this operation, has released a statement regarding the assault on the command facility. To paraphrase the six page-long release, they believe this to be the final nail in the coffin for the White Fang, as intelligence gathered from the assault has provided them with the location of numerous high-ranking members and hidden facilities._

 _On behalf of the people of Remnant, Human and Faunus alike, the Mistral News Network would like to personally thank the brave men and women of the UNSC for finally bringing this criminal organization to justice._

"Holy shit…" Coco sighed. "It just sank in… the White Fang is actually done!"

Winter nodded. "ONI teams all across Remnant are hitting those hidden facilities right now. It really is over."

 **February 27, 2683; 1321 Hours**

 **Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)**

Weiss sighed, playfully rolling her eyes as Ruby brought her a cup of coffee from the kitchen. She had to call upon her stoic façade to keep from blushing when Ruby had carried her down the stars and into the living room to join in the conversation with everyone else. Not that she'd ever let Ruby know it, but she loved having her partner dote over her. "Thank you, Ruby." She smiled as Ruby plopped down next to her on the couch.

Weiss couldn't help but watch as Ivan directed Yang as she played some old video game on the television, her character rolling out of the way of some black-cloaked figure with three white masks. Yang groaned as her digital character was struck by an attack, knocking her health down to zero. To add insult to injury, 'YOU DIED' appeared in large red text on the screen.

"God… _damnit_." Yang sighed.

"Did you just die to _Pinwheel?_ " Ivan asked, holding back a laugh. "You fuckin' breeze through the Capra Demon and die to _Pinwheel?_ "

"You make it sound like this shit's easy!" Yang returned.

"Step aside, Blondie." Ivan smirked, holding a hand out for the controller. "I'll beat the _easiest boss in the game_ for you."

"Keep talkin' and I'll punch you through the window, Chesnokov." Yang gave a devilish smirk, re-adjusting her grip on the controller and sending her character sprinting through a small graveyard.

Everyone's attention was grabbed as the door clicked open, Oscar and Thorne stepping inside. Strangely enough, he carried a small briefcase with him. "Good… you're all still here." Thorne said, looking to the collection of Huntsmen gathered in the living room. Thorne had to suppress a grin as he watched Yang's character sprint off a cliff when he had taken her attention away from the game for just a few moments too long. With a huff, she tossed the controller onto the floor as those damn red letters popped up again. "There've been some developments over the past twelve hours."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, looking up to the ONI Director.

"The situation surrounding the Grimm has changed." Thorne explained, sitting down in the one unoccupied chair and placing his briefcase on his lap. "Based on our analysis, it seems that Salem's gone to ground."

"Wait… what?" Weiss was the first to break the short silence that overtook the room.

"Over the past twelve hours, we've seen a steady change in the behavior of the Grimm." Thorne explained, resting his hands atop the briefcase. "You've all seen that higher intelligence they've begun showing over the past year or so, the hive-like mentality?" At everyone's nod, he continued. "It's gone. They've reverted to a feral state, much like the Colonel's original reports described prior to our arrival."

"Shit…" Ivan muttered. "She's pulled back, to prepare."

"That's the current theory." Thorne nodded. "All of her known assets and connections on Remnant have been neutralized. She knows damn well that she can't face the UNSC and Kingdoms of Remnant head-on anymore. Especially not with the CCTs being rendered obsolete. She can't afford to meet us in the open."

"What does that mean for us?" Ruby asked.

"She's shifted her tactics, and so will we." Thorne answered, succinctly. "As of right now, this fireteam is being shifted from a direct-action force to a covert force."

"What?" Coco asked, surprised. "Why?"

"There's no sense in keeping this fireteam active." Thorne shrugged. "As far as the general public knows, this team was assembled to bring down the White Fang. Knowledge of Salem's existence is still restricted to a select few individuals on Remnant. Keeping this force active would draw questions from the public, and I'd prefer to keep any potential leaks or fuck-ups to a minimum." Thorne held out a hand, quelling the questioning that had started to bombard him.

"I said that this fireteam would become a covert force." Thorne continued. "What that means is that all of you will still be a part of the UNSC's operations on Remnant, but the public will not know that."

"So you want us to become spies?" Yang asked, confused.

"Not spies, more like sleeper agents." Thorne clarified. "To put it in layman's terms, at least. Just like this team, none of you are obligated to be a part of this shift in strategy. It would be a great help to our efforts, but if you decide to return to the civilian world, I won't stop you."

"Fuck that, we're in!" Yang declared, earning a call of agreement from the assembled Huntsmen.

"Alright… that's what I like to hear." Thorne smirked. "Now I'll have to get the paperwork all straightened out, but you will all be formally inducted into the ranks of ONI Section II as field agents." Thorne's gaze snapped over to Cinder. "Speaking of which… Miss Fall, I believe it's time we re-negotiate that little… insurance policy I installed."

"Okay…" Cinder nodded.

"Since the offer of induction into ONI's also extended to you, that would require a… slight change to your criminal history." Thorne explained. "Whenever you're ready, the surgeons on-base will replace the explosive charge with a neural lace. It will still have a tracker, but you won't have C-12 between your vertebrae anymore."

Cinder's face lit up, a small smile crossing her feature. "Thank you."

"You've proven yourself trustworthy enough to warrant it." Thorne gave the smallest smirk in return. "We'll still be keeping an eye on you, but think of it as having a _much_ longer leash."

"Wait, you want us to become ONI Agents?" Weiss asked.

"You'd be ONI Agents, operating in the civilian world." Thorne explained. "For the most part, what you do doesn't really matter. I'm just concerned with having assets embedded on Remnant that I can trust. I do have plans for some of you, however…"

"Like?" Ivan asked.

"Let's start with the easy one." Thorne smirked, adjusting his briefcase. "Weiss."

"Hmm?" Weiss hummed.

"I've got all of the paperwork required to transfer the SDC back to your control in my briefcase here." Thorne explained, as if it were the simplest fact in the world. As Weiss' jaw fell slack, he simply continued. "It would be best if we had an asset in control of the most powerful corporation on the planet. I can't think of a better fit for the position. By signing off on this, you'd also be accepting your first defense contract with the UEG…"

"Absolutely." Weiss nodded. "I'll do it."

"Excellent." Thorne smiled. "And Miss Nikos?"

"Uhh… Hello!" Pyrrha gave an awkward smile and wave.

Thorne smirked again. "I understand that you're something of a celebrity here in Mistral, and you have a few connections to the current staff of Haven Academy. Given how effective you are in combat, with the added experience you've gained from working under ONI and the Colonel for such an extended length of time, I do believe that you'd be a good fit for a position of leadership in Haven Academy."

"Y-you want me to be Headmaster of Haven?!" Pyrrha asked, stunned.

"Not right away." Thorne clarified. "Haven's going to need extensive repairs, and HIGHCOM has decided that they need more… direct control over the goings-on in Mistral, so they've assigned me to oversee Haven's renovations and upgrades. In say… Six months, when the renovations are complete, Ozpin has offered his assistance in running the academy."

"I-I'll need some time to think about it." Pyrrha explained.

"Understandable." Thorne nodded. "Miss Belladonna?"

"Oh God…" Blake sighed, afraid of what Thorne was going to suggest.

"To put it rather bluntly, we need to fill the power vacuum left in Faunus culture and society by something a bit more… agreeable." Thorne explained. "Your father told me quite a bit about what the White Fang once stood for, and what it managed to accomplish under his leadership. It would be best if someone with a fair bit of… renown on Remnant took the reins of this new organization."

"W-what?" Blake sputtered out. "You want _me_ to lead the White Fang?"

"Preferably under a different name and banner, but yes." Thorne nodded. "Your father's going to be rather busy overseeing the modernization of Menagerie, and you're one of the few individuals on this planet I trust for this role."

Blake looked over to Yang, who simply gave a reassuring smile in return. She took in a deep breath, considering the option Thorne had just laid out for her. "Okay… I'll do it."

Thorne smiled. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll have more than a few capable friends who will be able to help you get on your feet." He said, scanning over the occupants of the house. "And finally… Colonel?"

"Yes, sir?" Ivan asked, not exactly surprised to see Thorne had something set aside for him.

"The recent dispersal of the Grimm from Beacon has also brought with it a rather… interesting development." Thorne explained. "That Wyvern from the Battle of Vale has finally decomposed, leaving just the scattered Grimm that have nested in the ruins of Beacon. I've already begun working with Vale's government to clear out the infestation and start on the repairs."

Thorne shot a glance over to Oscar. "With Ozpin in his… current state, he won't be able to serve as Beacon's Headmaster. We've both discussed it, and you'd be the best fit for the position."

Ivan was well and truly floored by that. "Are you serious?"

"You're an exceptional leader, Ivan." Thorne complimented. "You managed to corral this lot here." He gestured out to the gathered Huntsmen. "You'll have the old staff of Beacon to help you get settled in once the repairs are done. The Vale Council agrees, you're the best candidate for the position. You're well-known in Vale, well-respected. To a lot of the locals, you're something of a hero. That and I trust you can do the position, and our mission, justice."

"Alright…" Ivan nodded. "I'll take it."

"Excellent." Thorne nodded. "As for the rest of you, what you do in the interim is entirely at your discretion. Continue your work at Huntsmen, settle into the civilian world, do whatever it is you like. By tomorrow, I'll have all of the paperwork lined up and ready for your signatures. We'll discuss the finer details at the briefing at 1400 tomorrow."

"And after that?" Ivan asked.

"No sense in sitting around." Thorne shrugged. "You all contributed to the fall of the largest terror organization on Remnant… I'd say that calls for a celebration. And maybe a bit of shore leave, courtesy of yours truly."

"Are you saying its an option, or are you telling us to go on shore leave?" Ivan smirked, remembering Thorne's 'request' a few days prior.

"It's me saying 'get the hell off Remnant' while you've still got the chance." Thorne chuckled. "Press'll be all over you guys now that the last op just went public. Might I recommend Sigma Octanus IV?"

"Haven't heard of that one yet." Yang commented. "What's it like?"

"Oh, it's a freakin' paradise." Thorne chuckled. "Blue skies, beaches, and college girls as far as the eye can see." That earned a laugh from a few of the people around the room.

"Just might take you up on that." Ivan chuckled. "Vacation might do everyone some good."

Thorne smiled, a look of remembrance crossing his face after a moment. "Oh yeah, by the way Ivan… your old man sent something your way. Just arrived with the latest supply ship."

"Keepin' tabs on his mail?" Yang smirked.

"Trust me, there's a good reason we do." Thorne laughed. "I've seen some weird shit sent to deployed Marines."

Ivan smiled. "Thanks, Thorne."

"No problem." He opened his briefcase, pulling out a datapad. "Now, Weiss… since I've already got you here…"

 **March 5, 2683; 0941 Hours**

 **Sigma Octanus IV, Orbit**

"Holy…" Cinder managed, looking out of the small space-liner's viewport as it left the Slipstream. She had thought she'd seen something amazing when she had first taken the Vale Tether up to Remnant's orbit, seeing the little world she called home from the stars for the first time. This… this was something else.

The Inner Colony world of Sigma Octanus IV was nothing short of incredible. The fleet vigilantly guarding its orbit drifted through the vacuum, silhouetted against the tropical world's distant surface. Dozens of space stations, orbital hangars, and civilian ships surrounded the planet.

Ivan had given everyone a run-down on the planet, explaining how it managed to escape glassing by the Covenant. How a team of SPARTANs had managed to recover a Forerunner artifact from the Covenant, leveling at least four cities to deny them access to anything more.

Seeing all of this, she was truly amazed. The fact that billions of people managed to colonize hundreds of worlds made her feel… small for the first time in recent memory. Sure, she had felt small when she was taken aboard _Light of Sol_ by Thorne, but this? She felt like she was an ant among giants.

Her mind was pulled out of its musings as she felt a strange sensation in the base of her skull, almost like a light tingling. Ivan must have noticed her face scrunching up a bit, and he chuckled. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

Cinder looked to him, unconsciously running a hand across the thin piece of metal that had been embedded in the back of her head. Her neural lace was indeed taking some getting used to, but it was one of the most amazing pieces of technology that she had ever seen. It let her access some sort of heads-up-display without a helmet, monitored her health, and allowed her to communicate without a Scroll or Datapad. As useful as it was, she was just glad that there was an option to disable the HUD. Constantly seeing your heartrate and biometrics out of the corner of your eye could get a bit distracting. "I don't know if I want to…" Cinder managed, turning back to the viewport.

Ivan smiled, crossing his arms over his chest. "I can respect that…"

After a few minutes of watching the planet slowly inch closer, the civilian liner growing nearer and nearer to the planet's surface, Cinder spoke up again. "Thank you…" She managed.

Ivan looked down to her. "For what?"

"For the second chance." Cinder explained. "Or, well… fourth chance, I guess."

The SPARTAN smirked. "Thanks for not meltin' my ass off." He saw the faintest smile on Cinder's face.

"It's still hard to believe that you really meant what you said…" Cinder sighed. "Back after… you were captured."

"What, you don't trust me?" Ivan's serious look was betrayed by his tone, carrying just the slightest amount of sarcasm with it.

"I do, it's just…" Cinder began, searching for the right words. "It's hard to believe that you trust _me_."

Ivan shrugged. "I guess that's one of my problems." Cinder finally turned her attention away from the viewport. "I've got this nasty habit of trusting people a bit too much… comes with having good friends." She saw Ivan cast a glance across the deck, looking to Team RWBY as they gazed out of a separate viewport. "And you've got some damn good friends now." He said, turning back to Cinder. "Might do you some good to start talking with them."

Cinder thought to herself for a moment. She had tried to be as small as possible around the team of Huntresses and Huntsmen that had been working with Ivan, only talking with them when it was absolutely necessary. She had gone back to doing what she did before leaving Salem. She smiled, deciding to finally leave that part of herself behind in full. "Good idea." She nodded.

 **March 6, 2683; 1831 Hours**

 **Sigma Octanus IV, Cote d'Azur (Downtown)**

Ivan smirked as he stepped into the small pub in downtown Cote d'Azur that Yang had wanted to stop at. Of course, with a name like Anchor Management for your bar, that was bound to catch Yang's attention. "I should punch you, Yang…" Blake sighed, shaking her head.

"C'mon Blake!" Yang defended, looking inside. It was a small little place, filled with quite a few patrons. A noticeable few of them were clad in UNSC uniforms of varying branches, mostly the Marines. In-keeping with its name, it was a small pub themed after sea travel with lots of paintings of old wooden ships and the faint hum of music filling the air. "This place seems like it really _sets the bar_!"

Everyone in Ivan's small group, even Cinder, laughed. Blake playfully swatted Yang on the head for her terrible pun. "Jesus, that was awful." Ivan chuckled, giving a nod to the bartender as he walked past. The surprisingly young man gave Ivan a respectful nod, his tattooed arms moving at a thousand miles an hour as he prepared drinks for the people at the bar.

Ivan slid into a corner booth; with Winter, Blake, and Yang sitting on his side while Ruby, Weiss, and Cinder sat on the opposite end. Teams JNPR and CFVY moved to occupy their own booths nearby, all of them striking up their own conversations.

"Oh man, this is awesome…" Yang commented after a waitress came by to take their orders. "My sister's first _legal_ beer."

"On Sigma O4, no less." Ivan smirked, leaning back in his seat.

"This is my first beer _at all_ , Yang." Ruby responded, a small smile on her face.

" _Suuuuuuure_ …" Yang smiled. "I know you and Weiss have been up to no-good, no need to play innocent."

Weiss simply rolled her eyes. "As annoying as ever, Yang."

"So Ivan…" Blake began, paying no mind to the quiet murmurs around the bar. It was a bit strange to not be wearing her bow, especially in a place like this, but she had a promise to keep. "You never did tell us what your father sent you last week."

Ivan, deep down, just about had a heart attack. It took _quite_ a bit of effort to keep a straight face. "You'll see…" He smiled, hoping to God that he wasn't blushing like an idiot.

The conversation carried on for quite some time. For the first time in weeks, there wasn't a mission to go on, no threats, just free time to burn and fun times to be had. They had two weeks set aside on Sigma Octanus IV, and a certain SPARTAN had quite the plan lined up for everyone.

 **March 7, 2683; 1951 Hours**

 **Sigma Octanus IV, Cote d'Azur (Downtown)**

Weiss cocked an eyebrow as she watched Ivan talking with the waiter. He had taken everyone to a rather… high-class restaurant right on the coastline. They were sitting at a large table on the patio, directly overlooking the beach. She couldn't deny it, this planet was absolutely gorgeous. The setting sun's rays lightly danced across the ocean's surface, giving the whole air of the place an almost picturesque feel. They had spent all day on the beach, and Weiss was left a sputtering mess when she saw Ruby in her swimsuit.

Weiss became even more confused as the music for the patio area suddenly shifted. It went from a soft piano to a rather strangely-familiar song preceded by the soft calls of a brass instrument, likely a trumpet. Winter, much to Weiss' surprise, simply giggled. Everyone looked over once Ivan returned, a small smile on his face as he pulled Winter to her feet. It suddenly clicked when Ivan started singing, placing a hand on Winter's hip as he slowly moved with her to the music.

 _"_ _Someday… when I'm awfully low. When the world is cold. I will feel a glow, just thinking of you._

 _And the way you look… tonight."_

Weiss just about had to pick her jaw up off the floor. Ivan was actually a _good_ singer. He was by no means professional, but it was a far cry from most people she knew. His deeper voice lent itself surprisingly well to this style of music. She couldn't help but smile when she saw Winter's broad smile and blushing face as she swayed along with him.

 _"_ _Yes, you're lovely. With your smile so warm. And your cheeks so soft._

 _There is nothing for me, but to love you!_

 _And the way you look… tonight."_

Everyone at the table let out a collective 'Aww!' at the sight. Especially Ruby and Nora. Blake especially found things like this amazing. She was a sucker for a good romance story, after all.

 _"_ _With each word, your tenderness grows._

 _Tearing my fears apart!_

 _And that laugh that wrinkles your nose._

 _Touches my foolish heart._

 _Lovely… and never, ever change._

 _Keep that breathless charm._

 _Won't you please arrange it, 'cause I love you._

 _Just the way you look… tonight."_

Ruby looked like she was about to pass out from the adorableness. She had never imagined Ivan would do something like this. He was usually calm, reserved, and well-collected. He never struck Ruby as a romantic type, but with this… she had a whole new idea of what he was like.

Winter was no different. She had a broad smile plastered on her face as her eyes were glued to Ivan's own. She was absolutely _floored_ by the gesture, and amazed at the fact that Ivan had talked a waiter into playing one of her favorite songs for something like this, especially at such an expensive restaurant. She couldn't help but sing along with him.

 _"_ _And that laugh that wrinkles your nose._

 _It touches my foolish heart!_

 _Lovely, don't you ever change._

 _Keep that breathless charm._

 _Won't you please arrange it._

 _'_ _Cause I love you…_

 _Just the way you look, tonight…_

 _Just… the way… you look… tonight!"_

As Ivan's little gesture wound to a halt, the sea of "Aww's" returned when he pulled Winter close, pressing their lips together. Weiss couldn't help but laugh. He certainly didn't lie when he said he'd give her sister the best.

As Ivan eventually broke the embrace, he had a small smile on his face. "Alright, I know that was corny as hell…"

"I loved it…" Winter smiled, completely oblivious to the adoring stares from the table. "And I love you. I don't care how corny it was."

"Well, it's about to get a thousand times worse." Ivan gave a devious smile in response. Weiss just about fell out of her chair when he reached into his pocket, producing a small velvet-wrapped box as he dropped to one knee. He flipped the lid open, revealing a small gold band with a diamond embedded in the ring.

Winter just about had a heart attack, seeing the SPARTAN drop to one knee and open that little box. She was so stunned that she completely missed Yang _actually_ falling out of her chair. Try as she might, she couldn't stop herself from covering her mouth with her hands. "Winter…-" Ivan started, a broad smile on his face.

"Absolutely." Winter managed, completely cutting Ivan off as he asked _that_ question.

There was a wide range of reactions from the onlookers at the table, but Ruby stood out among the rest. "OHMYGOD!" She squealed, clamping herself to Weiss' arm for support. Weiss, despite herself, smiled when she saw Ivan slide that ring onto Winter's finger.

 **XXXXX End of Act II XXXXX**

 **A/N:**

 **Awwwwwwwww! Finally some happy times for the RWBY crew.**

 **What a fuckin' ride it's been with Act II, man. To think I'm only about 60 or so percent done with this so far. Act III will be the last of this story. Thanks for sticking with me on this fic, everyone. I hope you're all enjoying thus far.**

 **Now, the final review response section for Act II!**

 **BrutusPrimus- Thanks, man. That actually means a** ** _lot_** **. It's still hard for me to believe that people actually read my stuff, and the amount of praise you guys give is just amazing.**

 **GrnDrgnzrd- I'd say to go back and read it. A lot of the previous plot points have either been heavily re-written or changed completely. There'll be some stuff in the upcoming Act III that'll directly reference stuff from the re-written chapters.**

 **TheFishKing- I had originally meant to include that reference a lot sooner, but I had totally forgotten about it until that last chapter.**

 **iZuikaku- We'll see what I have in mind for Salem. I'll say this much, it's** ** _probably_** **not what you guys are all thinking.**

 **Kylen Phylar- For the most part, RWBY canon hasn't really affected how the story's progressed. The plot has remained relatively the same, the only real difference is Ozpin coming back. When I had originally written this Act, just after Volume 3, I didn't see Ozpin reincarnating coming. Luckily, that was pretty easy to throw in, and I think I've made it work so far. Well, Ozpin and the goddamn Relic from Haven.**

 **Guest #2- Salem's already got the Relic from Beacon, there's not really much the UNSC or Team RWBY can do about that one.**

 **Guest #3- All about Salem will be revealed in due time. As for why her voice sounded eerily familiar to Thorne, that was more of a nod towards the fact that Jen Taylor (the voice actress for Salem) also voiced Cortana and Halsey in the Halo games.**

 **Psihopatul- I actually hadn't read Roadside Picnic at the time I wrote that part. I've since read it (since I'm a huge fan of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games), and I absolutely loved it. I mostly included Glukhovsky and McCarthy because they're huge influences on an original story I'm writing behind the scenes.**

 **And that's that for the reviews. Thank you all so much for sticking with me on this. I promise that this fic** ** _will_** **get finished (hopefully by the end of the year, since I've got another like, 20 or so chapters to write).**

 **As always, see you guys next update,**

 **-TallYapflip**


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